Former England fast bowler and Lancashire captain Sir James Anderson rolled back the years to take his 56th five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket against Northamptonshire in the Rothesay County Championship on Saturday, April 4.

Anderson took 5 for 64 in the first innings to restrict the opposition to 215 for 9 in the first innings. This was also his first professional game in six months, having last played at the highest level in September 2025.

Despite retiring from international cricket two years ago, Anderson continues to remain a vital member of Lancashire’s bowling attack at the ripe old age of 43. The right-arm seamer was announced as the Red Rose County’s red-ball captain ahead of the 2026 season. 

His five-wicket haul against Northamptonshire takes his overall First-Class record to 1,148 wickets from 305 matches. The pick of the wickets taken by Anderson on Saturday was that of opener Ricardo Vasconcelos. Bowling round the wicket to the left-handed Vasconcelos, the former Englandstar pitched the ball up that nipped back and found the gap between bat and pad to dislodge the stumps. 

Full video of Anderson’s five-wicket haul can be seen below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rothesay County Championship (@countychampionship)