I am not surprised by Lancashire releasing James Anderson, says Mark Butcher

Lancashire have not offered James Anderson a new contract for the 2027 season, ending his association with the county he first represented in 2001. Anderson had continued to play both red- and white-ball cricket for Lancashire after his England career concluded in 2024. The club recently confirmed the appointment of Paul Farbrace as their new director of cricket and Richard Kenyon as their new chief executive as they look to rebuild over the winter.

Former England batter Mark Butcher has responded to the news, saying he is not surprised by the decision or by Anderson’s reaction to it. Butcher empathised with Lancashire’s predicament and offered a clear explanation of what he believes the new management’s thinking to be.

Why does Butcher understand Lancashire’s decision to release Anderson?

Lancashire endured a difficult red-ball campaign in 2026, finishing second from bottom in Division Two and going 11 consecutive matches without a win. Anderson had been named captain of their County Championship side for the 2026 summer and delivered a strong personal return, claiming 50 wickets at an average of 17.68. Butcher was clear that the poor team performance was not attributable to Anderson’s efforts with the ball.

“I completely understand it [releasing Anderson] from the point of view of, Lancashire finishing second from bottom in the second division and needing to literally start from scratch,” said Butcher on Wisden.

“Paul Farbrace has looked at it and gone, ‘do you know what? Sooner or later there will be no Jimmy, we can’t bat, we can’t take wickets other than him, we need to start again and now is a great time to start. Expectations will be extraordinarily low, Jimmy has been absolutely amazing, we hope that someone else will snap him up – which I have a feeling somebody might – but it’s time for us to draw a line under that period and start again’,” he added.

What did Butcher say about Anderson’s reaction and his future?

Anderson, who will turn 45 next year, stopped short of announcing his retirement from professional cricket in a statement released on social media, writing of his pride in representing Lancashire for 25 years and describing walking out at Old Trafford as something he always found special, including the honour of serving as captain. He added that if the decision had been his, it would not have ended this way, but wished the players and fans well for the future.

“Unfortunately, that’s professional sport. Jimmy’s not going to like it, lots of fans won’t like it. But hopefully, Lancashire fans might understand it in about five or six years time,” said Butcher.

Several other counties are also reportedly interested in signing Anderson, who is England’s leading Test match wicket-taker and has 1,193 first class wickets to his name.

“I’m not surprised, and I’m also not surprised by Jimmy’s reaction. Obviously [he has been] man and boy at Lancashire, 50 wickets at 17 or something in the Championship [last year] so the fact that they finished second from bottom last year wasn’t down to him, or it wasn’t down to his performances with the ball,” said Butcher.

Anderson’s departure was reportedly discussed at a meeting between members and club officials this week, with the club said to be exploring a farewell celebration of his career. His future in professional cricket remains open, as he has not announced his retirement.