Legendary England fast bowler James Anderson has opened up about his unpleasant experience in The Hundred. While the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) 100-ball tournament has now become the franchise tournament, James Anderson’s comments would certainly hurt its image.
Anderson, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time, played for the Manchester Originals in the 2025 season after being picked as a wildcard player. However, the 44-year-old fast bowler got only three games, and he could manage only two wickets.
James Anderson drops bombshell on The Hundred
Now, the former England pacer admitted that he never enjoyed playing in The Hundred. However, Anderson has not shared the exact reason but revealed that he “hated every minute” of his brief stint in The Hundred, and he planned to be on holiday when the tournament begins this year.
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The Englishman also made it clear that his full focus is now on red-ball cricket for Lancashire. He wants to stay fully fit for the County Championship as he also aims to play again in the T20 Blast.
James Anderson was quoted as saying by The Independent: “It was a mixture of hating every minute of The Hundred last year, if I can say that, and especially being captain this year. I think it’s really important that I focus on being as fit as I can be for the four-day stuff. I want to play in the Blast again as well. When The Hundred is on, I’m hopefully going to be on holiday somewhere.”
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Anderson admits fitness doubts but dreams of another big season
James Anderson will lead Lancashire in the upcoming County Championship season. The legendary fast bowler had taken over the captaincy midway through the last season, and now he is the full-time captain. Anderson believes that Lancashire has the right mix of young talent and senior players, and now their main goal is their promotion to Division One.
Anderson further explained, “I think there are times throughout the winter where I maybe thought about what if we get promoted and we’ve got a chance to push for the championship next year. Would I want to be involved in that? And of course I would. And then there are other times when I wake up and I struggle to walk to the toilet in the morning and think maybe I can’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 that England can bring the Ashes home in 2027. The recent Ashes tour of Australia was a forgettable one for England as they were beaten 4-1 and faced a lot of criticism for their poor show and conduct as well.
The five-match Test series ended in just 11 days, which showed how far England fell behind. They haven’t won the Ashes since 2015, but Anderson feels the wait will end at home in 2027.
Anderson signed off by saying, “Obviously, I think Ashes series are huge, and everyone gets judged.” We’ve seen the backlash of losing in Australia quite heavily. I thought they had a great chance of causing an upset or winning, certainly, out in Australia. I still feel like they’ve got a great chance of winning in England, as well.”
