Sir James Anderson says he’s making his own leadership style as County Championship captain
Sir Jim Anderson has played for a lot of captains such as Nasser Hussain and Ben Stokes – however the latest leader insists he’s not modelling himself on anyone now ahead of the 2026 season.
Before becoming Lancashire’s red ball captain full-time, he filled the role last year on an interim basis. After signing his new one-year contract for the Red Roses in November 2025, he has earned himself the role for the season.
Anderson made his Lancashire debut all the way back in 2002. And like any person growing up in any environment, we tend to learn from others. That is exactly what the 43-year-old has done when playing with previous England captains Hussain and Stokes.
He says: “I feel fortunate. I played under a lot of captains both here (Lancashire) and with England.
“I think you generally pick things up from various people. Not necessarily the captain, but there are other leaders in the team.”
Becoming a leader is a big step as it means you take on a big responsibility. However with Anderson being around the England team often, he feels as if he grew into a leader whilst being there.
The County Championship captain passed the 300 appearances mark in First Class cricket last year. He spoke about how players having ‘character seasons’ like 2025 and it’s like a treadmill. But Anderson wants the players to remember that it’s not just a job, it’s something that they love doing.
He says: “I think having gathered all that information throughout my career, I’m trying my best to be the captain that I want to be.
“I want the team to get promoted this year. I want all the players to have fun doing it. Remember why we start playing cricket because we love the game.”
Being a captain means to be the person in command of a ship therefore when reflecting on what being a leader in a successful team looks like, he says: “The successful teams that I’ve been involved in, everyone talks to each other.
“It’s not just the captain sending the messages out. Everyone’s got a role in the team to be a leader of some sort. That communication side is absolutely vital for teams to have success.”.
Anderson will lead his team out on Friday April 3 at Northamptonshire for Lancashire’s first County Championship match of the season, with high hopes to get the squad promoted to Division 1.
