Sir James Anderson may be 44, but the legendary seamer showed that his ability to produce unplayable deliveries remains firmly intact. On his return to competitive cricket for Lancashire, Anderson delivered a reminder of his class by knocking over Middlesex batter Max Holden with a superb inswinger during their County Championship Division Two clash.

Anderson had been sidelined for around two months after suffering a calf injury, putting his impressive start to the 2026 County Championship campaign on hold. The former England quick had made an excellent beginning to the season, collecting 14 wickets across his first two matches. His early run included a five-wicket haul against Kent, while he also played a major role with the ball against Northamptonshire.

Having recovered from his injury, Anderson was back in action on September 2 as Lancashire took on Middlesex at Merchant Taylors’ School. Despite the match being badly affected by rain and poor light, the veteran wasted little time in making his presence felt.

He finished the limited action with two wickets for 30 runs, immediately reminding everyone why he remains such a formidable red-ball bowler.

Anderson produces a peach to remove Max Holden

Anderson’s second wicket of the innings was arguably the highlight of his comeback. The dismissal arrived during the seventh over of Middlesex’s innings, with Holden facing Anderson. Coming over the wicket, the Lancashire captain sent down a beautifully controlled delivery that landed on a testing good length.

Holden was drawn into a forward defensive movement, but the ball had other plans. After pitching, it swung sharply back into the right-hander, sneaking through the narrow gap between his bat and pad. The delivery continued towards the stumps before crashing into the top of off, leaving Holden beaten all ends up.

It was the kind of dismissal that has become synonymous with Anderson throughout his illustrious career: subtle movement, pinpoint accuracy and just enough deception to make the batter look completely out of answers. Lancashire celebrated as Anderson claimed his second wicket, while the dismissal quickly caught the attention of cricket fans online.

Here’s the video:

"That's a BEAUT!" 😍

An absolute seed from James Anderson brings his second of his opening spell.

20-2 (6.2)

🌹 #RedRoseTogether pic.twitter.com/9SdleSpta1

— Lancashire Cricket (@lancscricket) September 2, 2026

Also READ: James Anderson picks two fastest bowlers he has seen in world cricket

Middlesex fight back after Anderson’s early strikes

Middlesex, however, managed to recover after losing early wickets. Only 39.5 overs were possible on the opening day because of persistent rain and bad light, with the hosts eventually reaching 139/3 at stumps. Luke Hollman emerged as the key figure in Middlesex’s recovery. Used as an emergency opener for the second successive match, Hollman handled the difficult conditions with impressive composure.

He negotiated the early threat posed by Anderson and the Lancashire attack before settling into his innings. Hollman’s strokeplay eventually brought him 11 boundaries and a valuable half-century, helping Middlesex regain control after Anderson’s early intervention. For Lancashire, Anderson’s return will nevertheless be a major positive. After a lengthy injury layoff, the veteran looked sharp with the ball and showed that age has done little to diminish his ability to find movement when it matters most.

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