Sir James Anderson will extend his glittering career beyond his 45th birthday after signing for Surrey.
England's all-time leading wicket-taker was not offered a new deal by boyhood county Lancashire, but instead of retiring, has opted to make the switch to the Oval.
The 44-year-old was pushed into international retirement by England in 2024, returning to play for Lancashire full-time and was appointed captain for the 2026 season. He took 50 wickets at just over 17 in the County Championship last summer.
Anderson's tally of 911 international wickets is not just a record for England, but also a record for any seamer.
Although it was initially reported that Anderson would call time on his career, the Burnley-born quick says that he has "more to offer" after switching Manchester for London.
"After thinking what would be best for me, what's best for my family and where I want to play, it was a fairly easy decision," said Anderson.
"I did feel like I wanted to play again after having a good year last year. I don't feel like I'm done yet. I feel like I've got more to offer on the field.
"Surrey is such a strong squad, challenging for the Championship. It's the chance to play in Division One again, which I haven't done for a few years. I just thought it was a really exciting challenge to try to take on.
"Weighing up all the factors, this just felt like the best fit. It's a really strong squad: past internationals, present internationals, future internationals. I just thought it would be an exciting challenge."
2026 was a bit of a struggle for Surrey, however, they did lift the County Championship title in 2022, 2023 & 2024.
Anderson will add needed depth to a seam attack that contains centrally contracted England internationals Gus Atkinson, Matthew Fisher and Henry Crocombe, the latter a recent arrival from Surrey.
Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Sam Curran and Jamie Smith also play their county cricket at the Oval.
