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Former England seamer loving the challenge of getting back to shortest format with Lancashire

Andrew Miller13-Jun-2025James Anderson doesn’t have many regrets in his long and illustrious career. However, as he dives back into life at Lancashire at the age of 42, he does wish he’d had the chance to play more T20 cricket – after 11 years without a single game in the format.Anderson, who is set to feature for Lancashire against Worcestershire on Friday evening, has made a remarkable impact in his three Vitality Blast fixtures to date. He has claimed seven wickets at 10.14 and an economy-rate of 6.45, including a best of 3 for 17 in his comeback fixture against Durham at Chester-le-Street.”I’m absolutely loving it, it’s been amazing,” Anderson said at Lord’s this week, during an event for DP World.Related

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“I’ve only played three games – and my opinion might change very quickly over the next couple of weeks – but I feel like I’ve missed out over the last 10 years. It is so much fun. I wouldn’t change anything in my Test career, but it would have been nice to play a little bit more [T20] over the last 10 years.”Anderson remains England’s leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket, with a tally of 269 scalps that may never be beaten. However, he claimed just 18 in his 19 T20Is, with his last match in the format coming against South Africa at Centurion in 2009.”I was really nervous before my first game, but just being around Lancashire for the last however-many years, I’ve been dipping in and out,” he said. “It has been nice to settle in and get to know the guys properly, and try to have an impact in the team and on the squad. Hopefully, I can stay fit and keep doing it for the rest of the year.”He credits his ability to adapt to the format, despite such a long absence, to his unrelenting thirst for self-improvement: a trait that was in evidence throughout his Test career, with his mastery of the wobble-seam delivery a key example of this.”I do watch a lot of cricket. I’ve been around a lot of cricket. I was with the England white-ball team in the winter, so you do kind of learn all the time, watching different things – watching The Hundred, watching the Blast over the last ten years.”I’ve always had slower balls, but it’s getting back into nailing them down. It’s something I’ve loved throughout my career, developing skills and working at them.”Even so, it has been a curious experience watching Anderson in action in the Blast, without his habitual cordon of slips to back him up, and with his breakthroughs coming in unconventional areas of the ground.”All of my wickets have been caught either in the ring or on the boundary,” he said. “But that is the nature of the game. It is a bit different to what I’m used to, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.””The game I played [against Northamptonshire], the edges I got – you don’t have a slip in – went for four. You have to deal with that, and obviously they’re trying to hit you out of the ground. I have found it really fun. I am trying to learn all the time and tap into the other guys who’ve played a lot of T20 cricket to see where it takes me.”Anderson’s desire to extend his career was shown by his entries into both the IPL auction and the Hundred draft. Though he went unselected in both, the Hundred does have the intriguing second chance of a potential wildcard pick, which are awarded to the stand-out performers in the T20 Blast.”I have no idea,” he said, on that prospect. “I haven’t heard anything. I just keep ploughing along. What I am finding out is that there is a lot of cricket in a county season, and it is tough. We have two more T20s and then two Championship games, and I want to play in those, so it’s about trying to manage your body as well. It has been great though. I have absolutely loved it.”James Anderson was speaking at a DP World Beyond Boundaries Initiative, a mission to make the game of cricket more accessible across the globe

Alexander Isak will not play football for Newcastle United again, but after scoring on his debut for the Magpies, club-record signing Nick Woltemade looks like he has the potential to make that frontal spot his own.

And Newcastle are up and running. The summer transfer window has been and gone, and nobody will be more delighted than Eddie Howe, whose side were rocked and rocked some more by the turbulence throughout, the Isak saga very much the crux of the issues that seeped into the opening games of the Premier League season.

But the Sweden striker has now gone, and for a British-record £125m fee at that.

However, in Woltemade and the proven goalscorer that is Yoane Wissa, unfortunately, injured for weeks with a knee injury before he could make his United debut on Saturday, Howe has restored the core of his formidable frontline.

Three points against Wolves gives Howe his first win of the campaign and a new platform from which to build on, putting behind him the frustrations of the summer transfer window.

Because the Tynesiders, for sure, have undergone some degree of change in the final third.

Newcastle's new-look frontline without Ekitike

Howe’s Newcastle system is greater than the sum of its parts. Isak was (is) a world-class striker, but he’s a Magpie no more, and Newcastle have responded by welcoming two new talents to the fold bearing skills enough to compensate for his sale.

Wissa’s debut will have to wait due to injury, but the former Brentford striker scored 19 Premier League goals last season, and he offers a proven touch that will likely retain, at least, the relative consistency of Isak’s presence in the final third.

But that’s not all. United needed a right winger in 2024 and had failed in a bid to sign Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga on transfer deadline day.

One year on, they got their man, signing the 24-year-old in a £55m package. Elanga hasn’t taken off at St. James’ Park yet, but he brings energy and speed and electricity to the team.

Newcastle have responded well to summer setbacks, adding these forwards to the ranks after missing out on other targets like Hugo Ekitike, now at Liverpool alongside Isak.

There was a time when a deal for Ekitike, 23, looked on, but when Liverpool hijacked the Toon’s move and added him to their ranks, it perhaps left many feeling more confident about Isak staying put.

But it wasn’t to be, and Liverpool got both. While Newcastle have repieced their attack together, there’s no denying the blow, and a less-known fact is that Liverpool also pipped the Toon to another talent this summer, one who could yet flower into a superstar.

How Newcastle missed out to Liverpool again

In August, Liverpool announced the signing of Giovanni Leoni from Serie A side Parma for an initial £26m fee, rising to £30m with add-ons.

An 18-year-old centre-back, Leoni is one for the future and the future is now. He’s extremely talented and considered to fall into the same bracket as Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen, another summer target for Newcastle, albeit at an earlier stage in his development.

Leoni hasn’t made his debut for Liverpool yet, and so we cannot draw with any real accuracy the player’s current capacity to thrive in England for a top club. But we do know there was something akin to a goulmouth scramble for his signature, and that Newcastle would have loved to land the shot.

Already blooded as a member of the Italian national set-up, the powerful and tall teenager has been described as “one of the most complete teenage centre-backs in Europe” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who also hailed him as “the future” of Italian football.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.

Look, for example, how the youngster fared against Malick Thiaw in Serie A last year. Thiaw, 24, signed for Howe’s side in a £35m deal last month, fee including add-ons.

Matches (starts)

22 (19)

17 (14)

Goals

0

1

Assists

0

0

Touches*

66.1

46.9

Pass completion

94%

89%

Key passes*

0.2

0.1

Ball recoveries*

3.0

2.0

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

1.7

Clearances*

3.5

3.6

Duels (won)*

3.7 (59%)

2.5 (61%)

Errors made

1

1

To have missed out on Ekitike was a blow, no doubt, but Newcastle responded by signing a similarly exciting up-and-comer in Woltemade for a similar price, and they’ve added Wissa besides.

Leoni, however, joins Liverpool for what could prove a shrewd fee indeed. But how firm was Newcastle’s interest?

Well, Parma CEO Federico Cherubini spoke after the transfer of rival intrigue in the defender, saying, “We rejected a higher offer from Newcastle for Leoni.” He then spoke of Leoni’s desire to push ahead with a move to Merseyside, insinuating a preference for Arne Slot’s project.

Newcastle have bounced back from their Ekitike rejection by signing two talented and contrasting strikers. Thiaw, too, has much to offer, but then he has also started no more than 19 league matches in any given season in Italy, routinely pegged back with injury issues.

Leoni, meanwhile, took to life on the senior stage with silky aplomb last season, and there’s a belief within inner FSG circles that Liverpool have signed one of the most exciting young defenders in the business, with TNT Sports commentator Adam Summerton remarking that he’s “going to be a star”.

Though the past few months have been tumultuous for those of a Magpie persuasion, it’s commendable that Howe and his team have knuckled down and welcomed a host of exciting signings to join a title-winning squad.

Isak might have gone, and Ekitike may play for Liverpool too, but Newcastle signed Woltemade and remain a force to be reckoned with.

That said, Leoni looks like a special talent indeed, and it’s a shame that he couldn’t be welcomed to St. James’ Park to help shape the future of this still-rising Newcastle side.

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ByKelan Sarson Sep 13, 2025

Owen’s PSL commitments could run until May 18, depending on Zalmi’s progress

Matt Roller04-May-2025 • Updated on 07-May-2025Punjab Kings (PBKS) have brought in Mitchell Owen, as their injury replacement for Glenn Maxwell, who was ruled out of IPL 2025 after fracturing a finger. Owen will join PBKS at the end of his stint with Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing season of the PSL for INR 3 crore.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Owen will travel to India as soon as Zalmi’s season comes to an end. Zalmi sit fifth out of six teams in the PSL at this stage, and play their final group-stage match on May 9. If Zalmi qualify for the playoffs, Owen’s PSL commitments could run until the final on May 18 – two days after PBKS’ final group-stage fixture, but before the start of the IPL playoffs. Owen has been eligible to be a replacement player at the IPL since he had registered for the auction late last year, even though he did not make the final shortlist.Owen, the 23-year-old top-order batter from Tasmania, came to prominence in the latest edition of the BBL where he was the top run-scorer overall, playing a starring role in Hobart Hurricanes’ title-winning run.In the final, he scored 108 from 42 balls to win the Player-of-the-Match award. Owen finished with 452 runs from 11 innings, scoring at an average of 45.20 and a strike rate of 203.60. He has since played in the SA20 and the PSL. Owen also bowls medium pace and has 10 wickets in 20 innings in T20s. Ricky Ponting, the Australian head coach of PBKS, has followed Owen’s success closely in his role as Hurricanes’ head of strategy in the BBL.

“He’s a very exciting player, a very exciting package. He is someone that can bat lots of different positions in the order and can bowl some very handy medium pace as well, which will be really good for us”Ricky Ponting on Mitchell Owen

In a PBKS statement*, Ponting said of Owen, “I think we’re all very happy to add Mitchell Owen to our squad for the back end of this season… He’s someone that I’ve watched very closely, especially over the last 12 months.”He’s a very exciting player, a very exciting package. He is someone that can bat lots of different positions in the order and can bowl some very handy medium pace as well, which will be really good for us. I’m really excited to have him as part of the group and looking forward to him getting over here sooner rather than later.”At the PSL, he was a replacement for Corbin Bosch at Zalmi after Bosch reneged on his deal to join Mumbai Indians (MI) as a replacement for the injured Lizaad Williams. Bosch was subsequently served a legal notice by the PCB and banned from the competition for a year.”I deeply regret my decision to withdraw from the PSL, and offer my sincere apologies to the people of Pakistan, the fans of Peshawar Zalmi, and the wider cricket community,” Bosch, who has played two games for MI in IPL 2025, said in a statement released by the PCB at the time.

Three quick wickets on third morning complete emphatic 145-run victory at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Apr-2025

Kent 231 (Muyeye 72, Leaning 40, Weatherall 3-32) and 171 (Evison 52, Compton 36, Weatherall 3-38) beat Northants 143 (Keogh 64, Singh 4-35) and 114 (Bartlett 60*, Dudgeon 7-36) by 145 runs Kent seamer Keith Dudgeon produced career-best figures of seven for 36 to wrap up his side’s Rothesay County Championship Division Two victory over Northamptonshire just half an hour into the third morning.The 29-year-old South African, making his debut in English cricket, rattled through the last three Northamptonshire wickets to secure a 145-run success – only Kent’s second red-ball win in their last 20 games.It took Kent only seven overs to complete their win at Wantage Road, with the home side bowled out for 114 in their second innings as George Bartlett was left unbeaten on 60.Resuming on 54 not out, Bartlett did his best to farm the strike and take the odd single but he could not protect the tail for long and Dudgeon struck in his third over of the morning to take his tally of wickets to five.Dom Leech, attempting to fend off a short delivery, could only send it looping into the gloves of Harry Finch – and Liam Guthrie departed in Dudgeon’s next over, bowled off his pads for a duck.The South African completed Kent’s victory – their third successive red-ball win over Northamptonshire – just two balls later, uprooting Raphy Weatherall’s off stump with a fizzing yorker.It meant victory at the first attempt for Kent’s new head coach, Adam Hollioake.”It’s nice to get it done in what’s effectively two days,” he said. “It’s a low scoring shoot-out so there’s always times in the game where there’s a lot of pressure.”When it’s 200 plays 200 plays 140, or what have you, every run is hard fought for so you have to show a lot of character. This is a young, inexperienced side but the character they showed was really pleasing.”On Dudgeon’s starring role, Hollioake added: “He’s a great signing we’ve got here at Kent. What an impact – it’s a dream start to his Kent career.”He’s popular in the changing room already, he’s a lovely guy and you can just feel the enthusiasm and aggression coming off him, that’s what we need.”Darren Lehmann, Northamptonshire’s new coach, was less impressed with the result.”That was disappointing with the bat and the boys have got to take some accountability,” he said. “It wasn’t a two-and-a-half day wicket, I thought the groundsman did a really good job – that for me was a nice four-day wicket, more of a 250 wicket in each innings.”I think both sides batted badly, but Kent probably bowled a bit better than us. We should probably have limited them to 180 and dropped a few catches, but we fought back beautifully yesterday.”I thought (Rob) Keogh was excellent first innings and (George) Bartlett was great today, that number three spot was up for grabs and he’s really taken it.”We’ve got some work to do with the bat but we’ve got to change our mindset and adapt to conditions better than we did, we had three blokes that let the ball go and didn’t play a shot, Bats cost about 500 quid – you’ve got to start using them!”

Duckett’s ton went in vain as Inglis countered by pummelling a lacklustre England pace attack

Tristan Lavalette22-Feb-20252:04

Agar: Inglis controlled the innings, the rest could bat around him

Ben Duckett provided the ruthlessness England so desperately craved for with a record knock of 165. But his heroics went in vain as Josh Inglis countered by pummelling a lacklustre England pace attack and powering Australia to the highest successful chase in men’s ICC tournament history.The first match at an ICC event in Lahore since March 1996 saw batting completely dominate this Champions Trophy blockbuster with little margin for error for the bowlers on such a benign surface.With a mixture of inventive strokes and meaty backfoot blows, England-born Inglis hit his maiden ODI century to finish unbeaten on 120 from 86 balls as Australia reached the target of 352 with relative ease in the 48th over. England’s bowlers struggled to handle the dew under lights, with Australia achieving their second-highest successful ODI chase after their 359 for 6 against India in Mohali in 2019.It was a bitter disappointment for England, who now face must-win games against Afghanistan and South Africa. They ultimately will rue falling a little bit short with the bat, but Duckett’s magnificent 165 off 143 was the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history. He received strong support from Joe Root, who made a crisp 68 in a third-wicket partnership of 158.Even though no other batter scored more than 25 runs, England still compiled the highest-ever total in the tournament and took full toll on the least experienced Australian attack at an ICC ODI event since 1983. They were without frontline quicks Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, while seam-bowling allrounders Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis are also missing.However, the result was not a fait accompli on this flat surface, with Australia boasting a deep batting line-up. Australia’s innings mirrored England’s with two early wickets after Travis Head and stand-in captain Steven Smith fell in the powerplay.Having blazed an unforgettable century the last time he was sighted at a 50-over ICC event, Head loomed as the key but on 6 his swipe hit the toe-end of the bat and Jofra Archer held a sharp return catch.Liam Livingstone dismissed Matthew Short for 63•Getty Images

Smith could only edge to slip a hard-length delivery from speedster Mark Wood, who was in great rhythm and consistently hitting speeds of 150 kph. But Matthew Short and Marnus Labuschagne rallied with a 95-run stand as they took a particular liking to wayward quick Brydon Carse.Short overcame a lean run of form by superbly using the pace of England’s quicks but legspinner Adil Rashid bowled a brilliant spell in combination with Liam Livingstone that squeezed the batters.A frustrated Labuschagne hit a slow 70 kph legbreak from Rashid straight to cover before Short on 63 offered a return catch to Livingstone as Australia slumped to 136 for 4.But Rashid was taken out of the attack after his six-over spell, allowing Inglis and Alex Carey to settle. The pair showcased their strong form having each scored counterattacking Test centuries against Sri Lanka as they got on top of a struggling England pace attack.Carey sheepishly celebrated his half-century after hitting Rashid straight to deep midwicket only for Archer to drop a sitter. Inglis then whacked Archer for consecutive boundaries as the wheels started to come off for England.Just as Australia started to gain control, Carey hit Carse straight to mid-off with 70 still needed off 50 balls. But Inglis was unperturbed and mowed a six off Archer to reach his century in style.Glenn Maxwell was unstoppable before Inglis fittingly sealed victory with a six in a terrific victory for World Cup champions Australia, whose title hopes ahead of the tournament had largely been written off.Josh Inglis and Alex Carey put up a solid stand•Associated Press

Smith elected to bowl after being swayed that dew would play a factor under lights as Australia stepped onto the field at an ICC event without their big three quicks for the first time in nine years.Australia’s considerably weakened attack was under immediate pressure on a road of a pitch. There was no Starc, but Australia were not short on aggressive left-arm quicks with Spencer Johnson, whose trademark golden locks had been shorn off, and Ben Dwarshuis handed the new ball.Dwarshuis was selected ahead of Sean Abbott, who had played in both of Australia’s ODI games in Sri Lanka, for match-up reasons although his two early wickets were mostly due to rash strokes.England’s reshuffled batting line-up didn’t go to plan initially. In a common bane for them, they went a bit hard early with Phil Salt falling in the second over after falling to clear the on-side as a high-flying Carey plucked a one-handed blinder of a catch to his right.It was a spectacular first-ever ODI catch for Carey as an outfielder and helped justify the decision for Inglis, the incumbent white-ball wicketkeeper, to retain the gloves.All eyes were on Jamie Smith, who batted at No. 3 for the first time in international cricket – and only the second time in his List A career – in a decision that forced Root, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler to shift down from their usual positions.Smith stroked a couple of gorgeous cover drives, before falling tamely to the on-side where Carey took a far easier catch on this occasion.England did not envision being 43 for 2, but they recovered quickly as Duckett and Root cashed in on errant bowling from Johnson and Dwarshuis. Duckett had started relatively slowly, but blasted a boundary off the last delivery of the powerplay as England moved to 73 for 2.Smith reverted to spin after the restrictions were eased but there was little turn on offer as Duckett and Root easily rotated the strike. Smith was fairly conservative with his tactics and deployed four sweepers.1:26

Knight: The way Duckett rotated strike put Australia under pressure

Duckett showcased his improved prowess of hitting down the ground by targeting Maxwell straight and he reached his half-century in style with a horizontal bat shot off Johnson.Root was making it look easy, not fussed about hitting boundaries but smartly working the gaps to reach his half-century off 56 balls. He had a perfect opportunity to end a long ODI century drought stretching to the 2019 World Cup as England eyed a total in the high 300s.But Root got tied down by legspinner Adam Zampa, was was in the midst of a good spell, and missed a rare attempted sweep to fall in a tight lbw after an unsuccessful review. Australia fought back through Zampa, whose subtle variations proved effective and accounted for Brook with Carey taking another terrific catch after a diving effort running backward at point.Seamer Nathan Ellis also utilised his noted defensive skills and conceded just 51 runs off his 10 overs – the only bowler with an economy of under six.England feared letting slip a great platform just like they did against Australia at Trent Bridge last September. But Duckett held things together and blasted consecutive boundaries off Johnson to reach his third ODI century.He punched the air in celebration, but did not waver in his concentration despite being clearly fatigued. Duckett’s brilliant innings finally ended in the 48th over when he was trapped lbw by the legspin of Labuschagne, who was preferred over Johnson at the death and finished with 2 for 41 off five overs.Archer hit a flurry at the death, but his mood soured later in the night.

He was supported by half-centuries from debutant Ben Curran and Sean Ervine, as Afghanistan clearly missed Rashid Khan

Sreshth Shah26-Dec-2024

With his family and well-wishers watching along from the Queens Sports Club balcony, Zimbabwe’s veteran batter Sean Williams celebrated his fifth Test ton in Bulawayo to give the hosts the upper hand in the Boxing Day Test against Afghanistan, as they finished on 363 for 4.Williams not only negated Afghanistan’s spin challenge comfortably but also dominated the other bowlers to finish unbeaten on 145. His control percentage of 90 on a surface that offered decent turn right from the start of play displayed just that, with the inexperienced Afghanistan bowling attack – the visitors were missing Rashid Khan for the Test owing to personal reasons – looking both deflated and bruised by the end of it.Walking in at the start of the second session to face his first ball with Zimbabwe at 92 for 2, Williams relied on his footwork to get on top of the bowling. Usually a frequent sweeper, Williams, on this occasion, took to the cuts, drives and pulls to shepherd the Zimbabwe innings. With Afghanistan not offering anything too full knowing Williams’ love for the sweep, he countered the bowlers’ lengths by rocking back or going on to the front foot with equal ease.When Williams charged down the track, he lifted sixes over long-on and long-off. When he hung back, he created the time to slap boundaries through the off side. Williams’ enterprising batting earned him a half-century off 58 balls, and a century off 115.But Williams’ innings wasn’t the only one to help Zimbabwe finish the day on a high. Opener Ben Curran, one of three Zimbabwe debutants and one of six across the two XIs, set the tone early with 68 off 74 balls. He welcomed fellow debutant Azmatullah Omarzai into Test cricket with a boundary off the allrounder’s first ball in the format, before unleashing ten more boundaries.Curran was the majority contributor in a 43-run opening partnership with Joylord Gumbie (9), and a 49-run second-wicket stand with Takudzwanashe Kaitano (46), but fell to teen debutant AM Ghazanfar in the last over before lunch after a wrong’un sneaked through his defence to knock his stumps back.