Great England fast bowler James Anderson has revealed about his unpleasant experience in The Hundred. While the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) 100-ball tournament has now become a franchise tournament, James Anderson’s comments will definitely damage its image.
Anderson, considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time, played for Manchester Originals in the 2025 season after being selected as a wildcard player. However, the 44-year-old fast bowler got only three games and could only take two wickets.
James Anderson drops a bomb on The Hundred
Now, the former England fast bowler admitted that he never enjoyed playing in The Hundred. Although Anderson has not shared the exact reason, he has revealed that he “hated every minute” of his brief stint in The Hundred, and that he had planned to be on leave when the tournament started this year.
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The Englishman also made it clear that his entire focus is now on red-ball cricket for Lancashire. He wants to be fully fit for the County Championship as he also aims to play in the T20 Blast again.
James Anderson was quoted by The Independent as saying: “If I can say so, it was a mixture of hating every minute of The Hundred last year, and especially being captain this year. I think it’s really important that I focus on getting as fit as possible for the four-day things. I also want to play in the Blast again. When The Hundred comes on, I’m hoping to go on holiday somewhere.”
Anderson admits fitness doubts but dreams of another big season
James Anderson will lead Lancashire in the upcoming County Championship season. This great fast bowler took over the captaincy midway through the last season and is now the full-time captain. Anderson believes Lancashire have the right mix of young talent and senior players and their main target now is promotion to Division One.
Anderson continued, “I think there were times throughout the winter that I wondered what if we got promoted and we got a chance to try for the championship next year. Would I want to be in that? And of course I would. And then there are times when I’d wake up and struggle to go to the toilet in the morning and think maybe I couldn’t get another year out of my body.”
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James Anderson backs England to end Ashes drought in 2027
Meanwhile, Anderson believes England can bring home the Ashes in 2027. The recent Ashes tour of Australia was a forgettable one for England as they suffered a 4-1 defeat and also faced a lot of criticism for their poor performance and conduct.
The five-match Test series ended in just 11 days, which showed how far England was lagging behind. They have not won the Ashes since 2015, but Anderson feels their wait on home soil will end in 2027.
Anderson signed off by saying, “Obviously, I think the Ashes series is huge, and everyone is evaluated.” We have seen massive protests against the defeat in Australia. I thought they definitely had a very good chance of pulling off an upset or winning in Australia. I still think they have a good chance to win in England as well.”
