James Anderson enters The Hundred draft in bid to revive playing career

England’s leading Test wicket-taker has not played white-ball cricket since 2019

James Anderson has registered for The Hundred draft as he aims to revive his playing career following his retirement from international cricket.

England’s leading Test wicket-taker has not played competitively since July but will throw his hat into the ring for a Hundred contract, according to Sky Sports.

The draw takes place on 12 March, with the series set to start on 5 August, shortly after his 43rd birthday.

Anderson retired from Test cricket last summer, playing his last game against the West Indies at Lord’s, and has not played white-ball cricket since 2019.

After more than a decade’s absence from the T20 format, he signed a one-year deal with Lancashire in January to play T20 and in the County Championship. He also entered the Indian Premier League auction late last year, but was not given a contract.

He commented during The Hundred last year: “Seeing the ball swing around, it makes me feel like I could do a job there.”

Anderson, who retired with a career haul of 704 wickets in 188 matches, has been working within the England setup as a consultant coach over the winter, including at the recent Champions’ Trophy. England exited the tournament after three losses, with their opening two defeats seeing them knocked out before the semi-final stage, and a final loss to South Africa marked the end of Jos Buttler’s captaincy.

If he is not bought in next week’s auction he could still feature in The Hundred this year as a wildcard or injury replacement.

Zak Crawley, Dan Lawrence, and Reece Topley are among the other England players to feature in the longlist for the draft, while U19 internationals Rocky Flintoff, Ben McKinney, Harry Moore and Archie Vaughan are also included.