Stuart Broad calls Lancashire’s handling of James Anderson’s exit ‘disrespectful’
The former England bowler criticised how Lancashire delivered its decision to end Anderson’s time at the county, while the club considers a farewell.
Stuart Broad has called Lancashire’s handling of James Anderson’s contract exit ‘disrespectful’, saying his former England bowling partner deserved a better send-off after the county decided not to retain him. Broad made the remarks on the For The Love of Cricket podcast, according to BBC Sport and a report by Andy Hampson carried by Yahoo Sports on 27 October.
‘I didn't like it from Lancashire,’ Broad said, according to BBC Sport. ‘It was not done in the right way.’ He argued that the club should have handled the departure of one of its leading players with more care and criticised its leadership over the way the decision was delivered.
How Lancashire told James Anderson about his exit
Lancashire told Anderson last week that it would not renew his contract, ending a playing association with the county that began in 2000. BBC Sport reported that incoming director of cricket Paul Farbrace and recently appointed chief executive Richard Kenyon delivered the decision at a meeting. The decision was reported before Lancashire confirmed it on Sunday, 25 October.
Anderson, 44, took 50 County Championship wickets last season at an average of 17 and was named Lancashire’s player of the year, Hampson reported. BBC Sport said he also captained the side, which finished second bottom in Division Two. Lancashire’s management has set out a plan to build a squad capable of gaining promotion and then competing for the Division One title within three to four years, according to Hampson’s report.
Broad compared the county decision with the end of Anderson’s England Test career in 2024, which he said came before Anderson was ready to stop. Broad and Anderson took a combined 1,039 wickets in 138 Tests together, according to BBC Sport. Broad’s criticism concerns the handling of Lancashire’s decision; his assessment of the club’s leadership is his own view.
Lancashire considers a farewell as Anderson weighs his future
At a members’ meeting on Monday, 26 October, Lancashire said it would look into arranging a farewell for Anderson, BBC Sport reported. That followed member anger covered in NewsJaws’ earlier report on Lancashire’s consideration of an Anderson farewell. Broad’s comments add a public objection from a former teammate to that response.
Anderson has expressed disappointment at the decision but has stopped short of retiring. ‘If it was up to me, it wouldn't have ended like this,’ he said, according to Hampson’s report. BBC Sport reported that other counties are understood to be interested in signing him; no next club has been confirmed.
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Sources and context
- Stuart Broad hits out at 'disrespectful' Lancashire over James Anderson treatmentThe Independent reporting by Andy Hampson, carried by Yahoo Sports; the text identifies Andy Hampson and the page’s canonical article is on The Independent.
- James Anderson: Lancashire treatment of ex-England bowler 'disrespectful', says Stuart BroadBBC Sport
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.