- I’m not surprised Lancashire are releasing James Anderson, says Mark Butcher. Mark Butcher understands Lancashire’s decision not to renew James Anderson’s contract and says the county will have to start from scratch in 2026 after a difficult season.
- I’m not surprised Lancashire are sacking James Anderson, says Mark Butcher (Source: Sameer Ali/). Lancashire have not offered James Anderson a new contract for the 2027 season, effectively ending his association with the county he first represented in 2001.
- Anderson continued to play red-white-ball cricket for Lancashire even after his England career ended in 2024.
I’m not surprised Lancashire are releasing James Anderson, says Mark Butcher. Mark Butcher understands Lancashire’s decision not to renew James Anderson’s contract and says the county will have to start from scratch in 2026 after a difficult season.
I’m not surprised Lancashire are sacking James Anderson, says Mark Butcher (Source: Sameer Ali/). Lancashire have not offered James Anderson a new contract for the 2027 season, effectively ending his association with the county he first represented in 2001. Anderson continued to play red-white-ball cricket for Lancashire even after his England career ended in 2024. The club recently confirmed the pointment of Paul Farbrace as its new director of cricket and Richard Kenyon as its new chief executive as it looks to rebuild over the winter.
Former England striker Mark Butcher responded to the news, saying he was not surprised by the decision or Anderson’s reaction. Butcher understood Lancashire’s predicament and provided a clear explanation of what he believes is the new leadership’s mindset. Why does Butcher understand Lancashire’s decision to release Anderson?
Lancashire endured a difficult red-ball season in 2026, finishing second from the bottom of Division Two and going 11 games in a row without a win. Anderson was pointed ctain of the County Championship team for the summer of 2026 and achieved a strong personal performance with 50 wickets at an average of 17.68. Butcher made it clear that the team’s poor performance was not due to Anderson’s struggles with the ball.
“I completely understand [Anderson’s release] considering Lancashire are finishing second bottom in the Second Division and literally have to start from scratch,” Butcher said of Wisden. “Paul Farbrace looked at him and said, ‘You know what? Sooner or later there will be no Jimmy, we can’t bat, we can’t take any wickets other than him, we have to start again and now is the perfect time to do it.
“Expectations will be extraordinarily low, Jimmy has been absolutely incredible, we hope someone else will take on him – which I thought was possible – but it’s time for us to put this behind us and start again,” he added. What did Butcher say about Anderson’s reaction and his future? Anderson, who turns 45 next year, did not announce his retirement from professional cricket in a statement posted on social media. In it he wrote that he was proud to have represented Lancashire for 25 years and described his pearance at Old Trafford as something he had always felt was special, including the honor of serving as ctain.
He added that it wouldn’t have turned out this way if it had been his decision, but he wished the players and fans all the best for the future. “Unfortunately it’s professional sport. Jimmy won’t like it, and a lot of fans won’t like it.
But I hope the Lancashire fans can find out in about five or six years,” Butcher said. Several other counties are also said to be interested in signing Anderson, who is England’s leading Test match wicket-taker with 1,193 first-class wickets to his name. “I’m not surprised and Jimmy’s reaction doesn’t surprise me either.
“Obviously he was a man and a boy in Lancashire, 50 wickets with 17 or something like that in the Championship [last year], so the fact that they finished second from bottom last year was not down to him or his performance with the ball,” Butcher said. Anderson’s departure was reportedly discussed at a meeting between club members and officials this week, with the club considering a retirement party for his career. His future in professional cricket remains open as he has not announced his retirement.
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