England great James Anderson took seven wickets for Lancashire in a County Championship match against Nottinghamshire on Tuesday — just eight days before his final Test appearance. Anderson, in his first Championship match for over a year, took 7-35 — the best figures in this season’s Championship — as Nottinghamshire were dismissed for 126 in reply to Lancashire’s first innings 353-9 declared. Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon then took his 800th first-class wicket as Nottinghamshire were made to follow-on at Southport, with the visitors 84-2 at stumps on the third day, needing a further 143 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
This is the first match the 41-year-old Anderson has played all season as he prepares for the first Test against the West Indies at Lord’s starting on July 10.
But in his first competitive cricket match since the fifth Test against India in March, he showed few signs of rustiness as he reeled off a remarkable 10-over opening spell of 6-19.
It was the 55th five-wicket haul of his first-class career.
‘Arguably the greatest’
“To have Jimmy doing what he did this morning was amazing to witness,” Lyon told the Daily Telegraph after stumps.
“No disrespect to the other bowlers here, but you can just see his class. The extra zip off the wicket, the extra bounce, and that’s before you mention the skills, the ability to go both ways, the wobble seam.”
Lyon, a longtime Ashes rival of Anderson, added: “When I first signed for Lancashire bowling in partnership with Jimmy was one of the big drawcards.
“I’ve seen it from the other side, but that’s the first time I’ve stood there saying ‘come on Jimmy’…That’s the beauty of county cricket, to play with arguably the greatest fast bowler to ever play the game. It’s pretty special.”
Next week’s match will be Anderson’s 188th Test, with the England spearhead having made his debut back in 2003.
Anderson is the first seamer and only third bowler to have taken 700 Test wickets after spinners Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.
But he has decided to bow out of Test cricket after next week’s series opener at Lord’s, with England having made it clear they wanted to move on ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes.
Anderson, set to become an England fast-bowling mentor once his international career ends, has yet to confirm whether he will retire from county cricket as well this season.
“I am very surprised that England have tapped him on the shoulder and said you’ve got one more Test and that’s it,” said Lyon. “He’s world-class, probably the best to ever play the game as a fast bowler. His skillset, especially in England, is remarkable.”
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