Jimmy Anderson units his sights on taking part in till he’s FORTY-FIVE… however suffers damage setback forward of recent County Championship season

Jimmy Anderson envisages playing county cricket until he is 45 but will miss the first month of his post-England career with a right calf injury.

Anderson, 42, is out of Friday’s opening match of the County Championship season against Middlesex at Lord’s plus the April fixtures versus Northamptonshire and Leicestershire after suffering a mild tear during a pre-season trip to Desert Springs, Spain, last week.

It is anticipated that England’s record wicket-taker will be back in contention for the May 2 visit of Gloucestershire to Emirates Old Trafford.

‘Up until last week, I was very much raring to go,’ Anderson, speaking at Lancashire’s media day, said.

Lancashire head coach Dale Benkenstein confirmed: ‘From the medical team, it looks like it’ll be no less than a month. How that progresses, obviously, will be dependent on how he’s responding, but he won’t be available for the first block of three games.’

Lancashire are banking on Anderson, England’s most prolific Test bowler with 704 wickets from 188 appearances, to inspire an immediate return to Division One following last September’s relegation.

Jimmy Anderson believes he can keep playing county cricket until he is 45

Anderson’s international career ended last year, but he has no intention of retiring just yet

Anderson will miss the start of the County Championship season with a calf injury

But the man himself does not intend on such an outcome representing a parting gift, saying: ‘As long as I’m still hungry to play, still bowling to a high enough standard that I can get in the team, I’ll keep going for as long as I can.

‘I’m not saying it’s the last season. I am not ruling out playing for another one, two or three years. I don’t think you should limit yourself.’

If he was to remain on the staff with his boyhood club until the 2027 season, it would take him beyond his 45th birthday. Jack Simmons played for Lancashire until he was 48. More recently, Darren Stevens was 46 in his final season with Kent in 2022.

Anderson has not played since taking four West Indies wickets for 58 runs in an emotional international farewell at Lord’s last July.

He continued in a mentoring role with the England team for the remainder of the 2024 season, before committing to extending his first-class career over the winter. Now, he will only be available as a coaching consultant around his county commitments.

’As time went on, I just felt like I wanted to play, I love bowling and still feel like I can do it to a high level. And I feel grateful that they’ve give me the chance to play here,’ Anderson said.

‘I love coming in and seeing mates and the camaraderie you have in the dressing room, stuff like that.’

It was a right calf problem that limited Anderson to just four overs during the 2019 Ashes. This one has left Lancashire undermanned for Friday’s opener, with West Indies fast bowler Anderson Phillip also now a major doubt due to a delay in the processing of his visa.

Saqib Mahmood, another of the club’s internationals, has been pencilled in for a first first-class outing in 11 months – following two stress fractures of the back – against Leicestershire later this month.