James Anderson emerges as target for MLC: report
Anderson could earn approximately £135,000 for a short stint
England's leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson has come out as a surprise target for USA's Major League Cricket, BBC Sport reported on Monday.
According to the report, senior figures from at least one MLC team have taken interest in Anderson's comments last month regarding a possible return to white-ball cricket.
The unnamed franchise is now set to investigate whether the 42-year-old would be open to participating in the third edition of the T20 tournament in the United States next year.
Anderson could earn approximately £135,000 for a short stint in MLC, which attracted several high-profile players for the 2024 edition.
The most notable of those was Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, who has a lucrative contract with the San Francisco Unicorns until 2027.
Fellow Australians Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Travis Head were all part of the star-studded Washington Freedom team, coached by Ricky Ponting, which won this year’s tournament.
Anderson, who concluded his international career with 704 Test wickets, retired from international cricket following the first Test against the West Indies at Lord's in July.
He immediately joined England’s backroom staff and remains on a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) until the end of September.
Last week, Anderson confirmed that he would continue in his role as a fast-bowling mentor for England’s Test series against Pakistan in October, and plans to join the side for their tour of New Zealand in December.
Anderson's last competitive T20 match was in 2014 when he played in the Blast for Lancashire.
His decision to focus the last decade of his career on red-ball cricket means he has never played franchise cricket overseas, though he believes he is "fit enough" and "good enough" to play the format.
England World Cup winners Liam Plunkett and Jason Roy have both participated in the previous two editions of MLC.
In May 2023, Roy relinquished his ECB white-ball contract, worth up to £70,000, to sign a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Knight Riders worth £300,000.
MLC, which launched in 2023 with a 19-game season, will expand to 34 games in 2025. The tournament was granted official List A status in May.
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