James Anderson: Major League Cricket in US loves English icon

England’s all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson is a surprise target for Major League Cricket.

BBC Sport has learned that senior figures at at least one MLC team have become interested following Anderson’s comments last month about a return to white-ball cricket.

The yet-unnamed franchise will now investigate whether the 42-year-old is interested in taking part in the third edition of the T20 tournament in the United States next year.

Anderson could earn around £135,000 from a short stint in the MLC, which has lured a number of big names for the 2024 edition.

The most notable among them was Australian captain Pat Cummins, who has a lucrative contract with the San Francisco Unicorns until 2027.

Their compatriots Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head were all part of the all-star Washington Freedom team, led by Ricky Ponting, that won this year’s tournament.

Anderson, who finished with 704 Test wickets, retired from international cricket after the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s in July.

He immediately joined the England defence team and remains under contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) until the end of September.

Anderson said last week that he would continue his role as a mentor to fast bowlers during England’s Test series against Pakistan in October and that he planned to join the team for their tour of New Zealand in December.