Former England national cricketer James Anderson is being eyed by one of the unnamed franchises of Major League Cricket (MLC). According to reports from BBC Sports, it has been learnt that top officials of the team want him to play in the upcoming edition of the league.
This comes after James Anderson expressed his interest in playing white-ball cricket, especially in T20 leagues, after calling time on his international career with the England National Cricket Team. He mentioned that he has not played franchise cricket and would like to give it a try.
Although he did not make the decision official, he hinted that the decision was the same, saying that with the way the white ball moves, he feels he has a job to do. But the top bowler was also aware of the fact that he would face challenges.
After Anderson hinted that he is playing franchise cricket, the owners of the MLC franchise are exploring whether the 42-year-old fast bowling legend would be interested in taking part in the growing T20 tournament in the United States.
If James Anderson signs a contract with Major League Cricket, he could reportedly earn around €135,000 for a short stint in the competition. It has also emerged that Major League Cricket will expand its offering from 19 to 34 matches in 2025.
Anderson played his last T20 match in 2014 for Lancashire in the T20 Blast. Since then, he has prioritised Test cricket and ended his career as the best fast bowler in the history of the longest format of the game. If he returns to T20 cricket again, it would be a huge challenge for him to adapt, especially with the way the game has evolved.
If Anderson does join Major League Cricket, he will play alongside Australian captain Pat Cummins and stars such as Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head. In addition to them, his English teammates Liam Plunkett and Jason Roy have already featured in previous editions, with Roy signing a lucrative two-year contract worth €300,000 with the Los Angeles Knight Riders.
James Anderson ended his Test career after playing the first Test against the West Indies.
James Anderson ended his Test career after playing the first Test against the West Indies National Cricket Team earlier this year in June. The veteran player ended up being one of the best players to have played for the England National Cricket Team in the longest format of the game.
In 188 matches, Anderson took 704 wickets and finished as the leading wicket-taker in terms of fast bowlers in Test cricket. Overall, he finished his career as the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests and also played the second-highest number of matches in the format.
Since retiring, James Anderson has been mentoring England’s Test team. He will also play the same role during the team’s tour of Pakistan and New Zealand in the coming months.
