Victoria quick to join Jimmy Anderson’s LancashireIan ChadbandAAPSat, 20 December 2025 12:16AM
Victoria quick Mitch Perry has a golden opportunity to learn from England pace great Jimmy Anderson after signing for Lancashire in next year’s county championship campaign.
The 25-year-old seamer, who’s been the joint-second most prolific wicket-taker in this season’s Sheffield Shield having picked up 22 wickets this term at 19.54 apiece, has signed up to play in England in April and May after the domestic campaign finishes.
Perry is the latest Australian fast bowler to be snapped up by English counties and will play alongside his fellow Victorian Marcus Harris, the experienced Test batter who captained Lancashire last season and will be in the middle of a three-season deal there.
Next year, Anderson, at 43 will take the captaincy reins at the Old Trafford-based county, with Perry having the chance to work under the man who took a record 704 scalps for England.
“I have heard great things from Marcus. I can’t wait to get over to Old Trafford, meet the boys, and get stuck into a big red-ball season,” said Perry.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me, and playing county cricket is something I’ve always wanted to experience.”
Lancashire’s Director of Cricket Performance Mark Chilton explained: “We have seen the strength in depth of Australia’s seam bowling ranks, and the impact they’ve had on county cricket in recent seasons, and Mitch comes to us highly recommended.”
Meanwhile, the evergreen left-arm bowling allrounder Daniel Sams, always in demand for T20 competitions around the world, will join his third English county, Somerset, to play in the 2026 T20 Blast.
The 33-year-old Sydney Thunder quick, who’s previously represented Essex and Nottinghamshire, was the tournament’s MVP two years ago when Essex fell just short in the final against Somerset.
Somerset are the reigning Blast champions and have promoted Sams to their fans as “the ultimate T20 weapon”, with the player himself enthusing: “This is an exciting opportunity and hopefully I can help the team retain the trophy.”
Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, added: “Daniel has shown his quality all around the world, demonstrating over the last few years that he can excel and really impact games in English conditions.”
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