James Anderson, the 42-year-old fast bowling legend, is set to play in The Hundred for the first time. The Manchester Originals picked him up in the wildcard draft on Tuesday, July 15.
If he plays when the tournament starts, he will be the second-oldest player to ever play in The Hundred. The oldest was South Africa’s Imran Tahir, who was 43 years and 149 days old in 2022.
Anderson will join a strong Manchester Originals team led by Jos Buttler. The team also includes England bowler Josh Tongue and international players Heinrich Klaasen, Noor Ahmad and Rachin Ravindra.
Earlier this year, James Anderson played in the shortest format again after 11 years, playing for Lancashire in the 2024 T20 Blast. He played 8 matches and made an impact straight away, taking 14 wickets with an economy rate of under 7.75 runs per over.
His performance created new interest in Anderson’s T20 potential, even at 42. His presence in The Hundred will be his first big franchise contract since he left international cricket last year.
Anderson’s T20 career has been mostly in England. He has played 52 matches in the format, all in England and has 55 wickets. He played 19 T20 Internationals for England between 2007 and 2009 and took 18 wickets.
Besides white-ball formats, Anderson has continued to do well in red-ball cricket. In the County Championship he has taken 11 wickets in 3 matches for Lancashire, so he’s still a great player in his 40s.
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Anderson left international cricket last year as England’s best bowler. He took 704 wickets in 188 Tests and 269 wickets in 194 ODIs.
With his debut in The Hundred coming up, Anderson is proving age is just a number. His experience will add leadership and depth to the Manchester Originals’ bowling as they prepare for the tournament which runs from August 5 to 31.
Also, Rocky Flintoff will play for Manchester Originals in The Hundred 2025. He played well for England’s Under-19s against India recently.
