Watch: 43-year-old James Anderson begins net practice ahead of County Championship 2026

The England cricket team have booked their place in the semifinals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup after a two-wicket win over the Pakistan national cricket team in their Super 8 match on Tuesday, February 24, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Amid this good news, former England fast bowler James Anderson, who turned 43 last year, looks fit and ready for action. He has started training for the upcoming county cricket season. In a video shared by Lancashire on X, the right-arm seamer was seen bowling in great rhythm during indoor net practice with the new ball.

The veteran cricketer will now take on the role of captain for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the County Championship. Anderson had earlier served as interim captain for a few matches during the 2025 season. He was given the full-time captaincy after Keaton Jennings stepped down in May.

Although the 43-year-old has retired from Test cricket, he is still playing first-class cricket. Anderson has taken a record 704 wickets in Test matches and 1,143 wickets in four-day cricket from 304 matches.

Watch the video below where Anderson looks fit and in great form.

Steven Croft Praises James Anderson’s Leadership

Lancashire coach Steven Croft said he has full trust in his former teammate James Anderson. He said Anderson is the right person to lead the team and can guide them to the County Championship title next season. Croft said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

“Jimmy is an outstanding leader whose influence on the squad is immense. His experience in cricket is second to none, and the way he stepped into the captaincy during the second half of last season showed exactly why he’s the right person for the job. He also leads the way with his performances on the field and his commitment and dedication to training and living the right lifestyle sets the perfect standard for the rest of the dressing room. With Jimmy as captain and Josh continuing as vice-captain, we have a strong, stable leadership team that will drive our ambitions in the County Championship next season.”

Anderson is still England’s highest wicket-taker in both ODI and Test cricket.

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England Beat Pakistan in a thrilling match

In the T20 World Cup, Harry Brook scored a 50-ball century to help the England cricket team win the match. He played a brilliant innings even though Shaheen Shah Afridi took four wickets. England chased the target of 165 runs in the final over.

Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan scored a calm 63 runs and helped the Pakistan national cricket team reach 164-9 on a slow pitch at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. However, the total was not enough as England secured the win.