Yeh koi chhota twist nahi hai—jaise koi purana hero, jo ab nayi kahani ka hissa banne ja raha hai. Marcus Harris, jo Australia se aaye the aur team ke liye run-machine rahe, apne bacche ke janam ke liye wapas chale gaye hain. Aise mein, Lancashire ne apne legend ko saamne laya hai, jo pehli baar professional team ki kaptaani karega. Lekin kya yeh move Lancashire ke liye ek nayi shuruaat laayega, ya sirf ek chhota sa band-aid? Chalo, dekhte hain.
Anderson ka yeh role thoda unexpected hai. 704 Test wickets ke saath, woh England ke sabse bade fast bowler hain, lekin 2024 mein ek calf injury ne unhe season ke shuruati matches se door rakha. Sirf ek Championship match khelne ke baad, unhone Vitality Blast mein apni chamak dikhayi, jahan 4 matches mein 10 wickets liye. Ab, woh Blackpool mein Kent ke khilaaf (22 June) aur Chesterfield mein Derbyshire ke khilaaf (29 June) kaptaani karenge. Lancashire, jo Division Two mein second-last hai (59 points, 7 matches, 5 draws, 2 losses), ko ab Anderson ke experience ki sakht zarurat hai.
| Khiladi | Matches | Wickets | Average | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Anderson | 1 | 7 | 21.32 | 7-35 vs Notts |
Lancashire ka season ab tak jaise koi boring Test match—na jeet, na haar, bas draws. Marcus Harris ne 825 runs banaye (63 ki average, 3 centuries), lekin team abhi bhi table ke neeche hai. Anderson ka aana ek nayi ummeed hai, jaise 2011 mein jab unhone Lancashire ko County Championship jeetaya tha, Somerset ke khilaaf 9 wickets lekar. Unka 7-35 ka spell Nottinghamshire ke khilaaf 2024 mein bhi yaadgaar tha. Lekin yeh bhi sach hai ki Anderson ke saath expectations bhi bade hain. Unka kaptaani ka experience limited hai—sirf ek baar pehle unhone Lancashire ko lead kiya tha.
Doosri taraf, Kent aur Derbyshire bhi koi aasaan teams nahi. Kent, naye coach Adam Hollioake ke saath, apni batting line-up (Zak Crawley, Joe Denly) ke sahaare Division Two mein survive kar raha hai, lekin unki bowling thodi kamzor hai. Derbyshire, jo second place par hai, ne apne bowlers Ben Aitchison aur Blair Tickner ke saath Lancashire ko pehle bhi pareshan kiya hai. Anderson ke liye yeh ek bada test hoga—ek taraf unki bowling ka jadoo, doosri taraf kaptaani ka pressure.
Fans ka josh dekhne layak hai. X par log bol rahe hain ki Anderson ka yeh comeback Lancashire ke liye game-changer ho sakta hai, khaaskar jab team promotion ke liye desperate hai. Anderson khud excited hain, aur coach Steven Croft ne bhi kaha, “Jimmy ka leadership team ke liye ek bada moment hai.” Yeh waqt Lancashire ke liye ek nayi shuruaat ka hai, jaise 2010 ka T20 World Cup, jab Anderson ne England ko Caribbean mein jeet dilayi thi.
Lekin cricket ka yeh khel thoda nirdai hai. Anderson ke paas sirf do matches hain apna jadoo dikhane ke liye. Agar team phir bhi nahi jeeti, toh yeh kaptaani stint bas ek chhota sa yaad ban kar reh jayega. Lancashire jaise bade club ke liye, jo relegation ke baad wapas Division One mein aana chahta hai, yeh ek chhoti si ladai hai, jisme Anderson jaise bade khiladi ki zarurat hai. Par kya woh is ummeed ka bojh utha payenge? Yeh toh waqt hi batayega.
