Phil Salt ‘over the moon' to be captaining James Anderson in The Hundred
Eased into international retirement last year, Anderson raised eyebrows when entering the drafts of both the Indian Premier League and The Hundred for the first time, although he was overlooked in both.
But 17 wickets in nine matches for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast – in what were his first T20s since 2014 – led to him being scooped up in last month's wildcard draft by Manchester Originals.
Aged 43, he could be the 100-ball tournament's second oldest player ever, after Imran Tahir, if he gets the nod for the Originals' curtain-raiser against Southern Brave on Wednesday at Emirates Old Trafford.
As well as relishing what Anderson can bring from a playing perspective, Salt is looking forward to seeing him work with highly-rated seamers Sonny Baker and Tom Aspinwall over the next few weeks.
The Originals captain told the PA news agency: 'When I found out that we'd managed to get him, I was over the moon. He's going to be a leader for us.
'He's done so well for Lancashire this year. I don't think anyone's surprised by that, even given the length of time it's been since he last played T20 cricket. We're really buzzing to have him.
'I don't think it's necessarily just going to be about his bowling, but maybe how he can help some of the younger guys within our set-up that's going to be worth his weight in gold for us.'
While Anderson has banked 704 Test wickets, a record among non-spinners, Salt is a regular on the domestic T20 circuit as one of the most sought-after opening batters and is a two-time IPL champion.
Even so, Salt doubts he will have to show Anderson the ropes.
'There's absolutely no bossing him about,' he said. 'He knows exactly what he's doing at all phases of the game.'
Salt has had the Midas touch at the IPL and followed last year's title triumph at Kolkata Knight Riders by helping Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore end a long wait for silverware in June.
The competition being paused amid hostilities between India and Pakistan had knock-on consequences for Salt, who played in the rearranged final after a whistlestop trip to the UK for the birth of his son.
His decision, backed by England, to skip a T20 series against the West Indies a few days after the IPL showpiece as he took paternity leave drew criticism, but Salt has no regrets.
He said: 'In an ideal world, I would have been available for that England series. The way the dates fell, it just wasn't a possibility. I was really, really disappointed to miss the series.
'I saw people questioning it, but from my point of view, my wife's sacrificed a lot during my career, moving here, there and everywhere.
'She's put up with times where she really needed help and I'm not able to give that. So in those first couple of weeks, given all the sacrifices she's made for me, I felt I had to be around.
'England were incredibly supportive. The first chance I could, I spoke to Baz (England head coach Brendon McCullum) and he got the situation straight away.
'He said, 'Take your time and enjoy your time with the family and we'll see you soon'. I was really grateful for that and from the guys, that was a big help to me at the time.'
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