The 42-year-old James Anderson is aiming to secure his first contract in The Hundred competition. This comes after he extended his agreement with Lancashire for another year.
Anderson, a seasoned player, hasn’t participated in professional cricket since his final Test match against the West Indies in July. He has recently been involved with the England team as a consultant coach, including during the Champions Trophy.
However, his commitment to play for Lancashire in 2025 with a new one-year contract signals his ambition to play in the Hundred for the first time.
It has been almost six years since Anderson played white-ball cricket, and over ten years since his last T20 appearance. Despite this, he is looking to participate in the T20 Blast for Lancashire this year and has entered the Hundred draft without setting a reserve price.
Even if he isn’t initially picked in the draft scheduled for March 12, there’s still a possibility for Anderson to join a Hundred team as a wildcard player or as an injury replacement.
Reflecting on the previous season of the Hundred, Anderson noted the significant movement of the ball, which increased his interest in participating. He had also registered for the IPL auction in December but remained unsold.
Approaching his 43rd birthday just before the Hundred begins on August 5, Anderson could become the second-oldest player in the tournament’s history, following Imran Tahir’s participation in 2022.
This year’s draft is highly competitive, with over 300 international male players vying for just 10 spots across the Hundred teams. A significant number of international players may face availability issues due to scheduling conflicts with international series, and the Caribbean Premier League will also prevent many West Indies players from participating for two weeks due to clashes.
Notable Australian players like Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Ellis, and Josh Inglis have registered for the draft, even with a potential clash with a series against South Africa. David Warner, who has retired from international cricket, is also among the registrants.
New Zealand players, including Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, and Rachin Ravindra, are expected to be largely available for the Hundred and have also registered.
Noor Ahmad from Afghanistan has entered the draft with the highest reserve price of £200,000 and is likely to join Manchester Originals. London Spirit holds the first pick in the draft and may be interested in signing Jamie Overton.
Domestic players such as Jason Roy and Dawid Malan have also entered the draft with reserve prices and might consider playing overseas if not picked. Mark Wood, with a £200,000 reserve price, is unlikely to participate except as a replacement.
Other England players expected to draw interest include Rehan Ahmed, Zak Crawley, George Garton, Lewis Gregory, Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Reece Topley, David Willey, and Luke Wood. Several young England Under-19 players are also on the list.
The ECB has confirmed that Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes will be the centrally contracted players for London Spirit and Welsh Fire, respectively, for this season.
