James Anderson Emerges as Potential Major League Cricket Target

England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker, James Anderson, has attracted the attention of Major League Cricket (MLC) after hinting at a possible return to white-ball cricket. 

Senior representatives from at least one MLC franchise are intrigued by Anderson's recent comments and are now exploring the possibility of the 42-year-old participating in the third edition of the T20 tournament in the United States next year.

If Anderson shows interest, he could earn around £135,000 for a brief stint in MLC. The league has already managed to attract top players, including Australia’s captain Pat Cummins, who signed a long-term deal with the San Francisco Unicorns through 2027. Australian stars like Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Travis Head also played for Washington Freedom this year, a team coached by Ricky Ponting, which went on to win the tournament.

Anderson, who retired from international cricket after the first Test against the West Indies at Lord’s in July, still holds a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) until the end of September. He then joined England's coaching staff and continues to serve as a fast-bowling mentor for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan in October. He also plans to accompany the team to New Zealand in December.

The last time Anderson played a competitive T20 match was back in 2014 for Lancashire in the T20 Blast. For the past decade, he has focused exclusively on Test cricket and has yet to participate in any overseas franchise competitions. However, he recently expressed confidence that he is "fit enough" and "capable enough" to return to T20 cricket.

MLC, supported by influential figures such as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, is actively seeking to attract more English players to the tournament. Both Liam Plunkett and Jason Roy, members of England's World Cup-winning team, have played in the previous two editions. Earlier this year, Roy gave up his ECB white-ball contract, valued at £70,000, to sign a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Knight Riders worth £300,000.

MLC, which debuted in 2023 with a 19-game season, will expand to 34 games by 2025, and the tournament was officially granted List A status in May.