James Anderson in talks to play for Lancashire in 2025 season

However, he showed he had unfinished business when he put himself forward for the IPL auction in December – where he went unsold – and has stayed fit during his role as England’s Test bowling coach, with regular stints in the nets plus work with the team’s strength and conditioning coaches.

Now, according to The Telegraph, he is ready to commit to at least one final season with Lancashire – the club that first signed him as a teenager almost a quarter of a century ago, and for whom he made his first-class debut in 2002.

He is expected to be available from the start of the 2025 season, including a return to Lord’s to face Middlesex in Lancashire’s opening match from April 4 to 7, and – assuming he continues his coaching role with England – he could feature in five matches before the Test summer begins with a one-off match against Zimbabwe in May.

Anderson’s comeback would also have to be combined with his burgeoning media duties, while Lancashire would also have to pay his wages for the first time in more than a decade, now that he is no longer an ECB centrally contracted player.

Lancashire’s first home match is against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford in the second round of the Championship, beginning on April 11.