Door open for Anderson to make Lancs playing return

James Anderson took 7-35 in the first innings on what may have been his final Lancashire appearance against Notts in July

There is a place for James Anderson in the Lancashire team next season if he chooses to continue playing, says CEO Daniel Gidney.

Anderson’s last appearance for his home county came at Southport in July when he posted figures of 7-35 in a rain-affected draw against Nottinghamshire.

The following week the 42-year-old then picked up four wickets at Lords as England thrashed the West Indies in his final Test appearance before taking up a role as an ECB bowling coach, though many in the game feel he still has plenty to offer on the field, as well as off it.

Gidney told BBC Radio Lancashire: "He has loved playing for Lancs and he has always wanted to play.

"In my mind Jimmy is working out what he wants to do but whatever it is, whether it is on or off the field, the club will support him 100 per cent. He has earned that right.

"Mark Chilton is in regular contact – it is a big change now he is a full time bowling coach (but) if he wants to play, he will play."

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio Lancashire, Gidney spoke about threats to the English game and also backed director of cricket Mark Chilton and coach Dale Benkenstein to lead the Red Rose straight back to Division One, following the club’s County Championship relegation this season.

Gidney has vowed to invest in overseas talent in 2025 despite mixed success with imports this year.

"There is ultimately no hiding place," he said. "Going back up is the 100% expectation."

Dale Benkenstein led Lancashire to three wins in 14 Division One matches in 2024 after replacing Glenn Chapple as head coach

In the first season after Benkenstein replaced Glenn Chapple at Old Trafford, Lancashire won just three of their 14 Division One matches in 2024, finishing second-bottom, 21 points adrift of Notts and safety.

Gidney stands by the decision to make the coaching switch, saying "it was time for a change" and added: "Dale has tried to change a playing style. You can see the development and evolution of some of these players, but it is always going to take a little bit of time to transition.

"I do not think he has had a fair crack of the whip. The club gave Dale a very difficult scenario.

"From what I have seen, with the evolution of the playing style and the kind of culture that Dale is trying to work on with the players, I am quite excited - it is down to the club to support with overseas and we will do that."

Australian Test spinner Nathan Lyon saw his planned season-long stint at Lancashire cut short by order of Cricket Australia

Lancs signed Australian spinner Nathan Lyon for the whole 2024 campaign, only for Cricket Australia to restrict his stint to the opening months of a season which saw him pick up 26 wickets in eight matches at an average above 30.

New Zealand batter Tom Bruce posted one half-century in a dozen innings and averaged under 25 while Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer didn’t take a wicket in three matches and contributed only 116 runs from his six knocks.

"I can’t remember when we (last had) overseas signings that didn’t work," Gidney added. "We were blooding a lot more youngsters than we planned to and we ended up with five or six under-23s playing in the County Championship which is great experience but not really the situation we wanted to be in."

He put the club’s "very challenging year" down to "transition, senior players retiring, overseas not working and a lot of our young players having to step up quicker than we envisaged."

Gidney added: "Mark is working very hard on overseas for next year because we know it didn’t go right this year.

"That has to be better next year because the board’s expectation is the team go straight back up.

"In 2019 when we were last in Division Two, we won the title. There is no hiding place ultimately. The last two times we have been in the second division we went straight back up."

Daniel Gidney, right, with James Anderson and former England and Lancashire captain Michael Atherton, left.

'We have to think differently about building a squad'

Lancashire have an abundance of talent on their books, leading to frustration among some members that they have not always been able to call on their best players due to commitments elsewhere in the global game.

Saquib Mahmood picked up just two wickets in four County Championship innings this year while Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Luke Wood did not play at all and Liam Livingstone’s streak without a red-ball appearance has now reached three years.

Keaton Jennings, Matty Hurst, Josh Bohannon, Luke Wells and George Balderson were the only ever-presents in the Championship side.

"Players can now earn more say playing three days in the winter than they can for an average county salary for 12 months work. Who wouldn’t want to do less work for more money?” Gidney said.

"We have got a number of successful senior players who play for England and in global franchise tournaments.

"I have called on the ECB to put more prize money into the County Championship. As far as England is concerned the Championship is not important. You don’t have to play in the Championship to play for England – I think that is very damaging.

"You have to break the bank for a domestic player who doesn’t want to go and play in franchise leagues.

"We have players on multi-format contracts who physically cannot get through four days. Others are England centrally-contracted players, which becomes a difficult conversation around rest, and others who should just be on a white ball contract not a multi format contract because they can earn more by doing that.

"Some players are choosing to go down a career that should be more white-ball focused and we need to be more open about that as a club."

Gidney said Lancashire would make it clear to members which players are and are not available for matches in future and added: "We have to think differently about how we build a squad going forward.

"I love Test cricket and the County Championship but we have to protect the things we love. The game as a whole needs to put more in as a financial model to protect it. There will be less Test cricket in 10 years unless we do something now.

"We need to find ways of incentivising and encouraging players to play in the County Championship."