James Anderson "sad" and "shocked" as Lancashire decline to renew his contract

James Anderson says he is "sad" and "shocked" after Lancashire decided not to renew his contract. The England fast bowler spoke at length on the Tailenders podcast, his first extended comments since being told. BBC Sport

Anderson is 44 and turns 45 next summer. He holds 911 international wickets, an England record and the most by any pace bowler. For Lancashire he has taken 443 first-class wickets, along with 83 in List A cricket (the 50-over format) and 50 in T20s.

The decision was made by Paul Farbrace, who is joining Lancashire as director of cricket. He met Anderson and the club's new chief executive, Richard Kenyon. Lancashire told Anderson they want to build an attack for the future without him.

The timing is hard to separate from the club's season. Lancashire finished second bottom of Division Two of the County Championship, England's domestic first-class competition, last summer. Anderson still took 50 wickets in that competition while serving as the club's captain.

Anderson said the news left him asking "is there something fundamentally wrong with me as a person?" He said he wanted to finish his career with Lancashire, the club where he first played List A cricket as a 17-year-old in 2000, against Suffolk for the Lancashire Cricket Board.

The club announced on 24 October that his playing career with them will end when his current contract runs out. In a Reuters report from 25 October, he said he was disappointed to see a 25-year association with the club come to an end.

Anderson has not yet decided whether he will continue at another county. It is understood that other counties are interested in signing him. Those talks, and any decision he makes, have not been confirmed.

For Lancashire fans, the coming months will bring a clearer picture of the club's plans under its new leadership. For Anderson, the question is whether he plays on, and where. Neither question has an answer yet.