England and Lancashire County Cricket (LCC) legend Sir James, a.k.a. ‘Jimmy’ Anderson, has officially signed for Manchester Originals ahead of this year’s The Hundred campaign.
What a statement from the Greater Manchester side.
Now 42, the knight of The Oval and the realm is in the twilight of his career, but you’ll struggle to find many others of his ability and sheer amount of experience anywhere else in the competition.
Selected by Manchester Originals as their wildcard pick for the 2025 tournament, Anderson is set to become the second-oldest pro to ever play in the history of The Hundred.
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The fast-paced cricket format only began back in 2021, but has quickly gone on to become a fan favourite, with sell-out games over at the Emirates Old Trafford and, indeed, up and down the country.
Roping in veterans like the much-loved Northern lad will only help bring more eyes to the games.
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With more than 400 career appearances and nearly 1,000 wickets at international level alone over the course of more than two and a half decades in the sport, they don’t get much more iconic than Jimmy Anderson – it’s a big coup for Manchester Originals.
As mentioned, while the Lancashire-born bowler’s time in international whites may have come to an end, as well as serving as a key Roses mentor, he’s still an LCC star. Representing Lancashire Lightning in the year’s T20 Blast, ‘The Burnley Express’ has already claimed 14 wickets in his first eight matches.
Discussing his impending debut, the ‘King of the Swing’ said: “I’m really looking forward to The Hundred, and I’m really happy to be part of the Manchester Originals squad. I’ve loved my time with Lancashire this season, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to add value in The Hundred.”
“It’s a competition I’ve really enjoyed watching. When you’re at the games, you can really see that it does attract a slightly different crowd, a lot of younger people and families, and you can’t underestimate how important that is for our game. I can’t wait to get out there.”
The first lot of Hundred fixtures get underway on Tuesday, 5 August, with the first home match at Old Trafford Cricket Ground welcoming the toss the following day (Wed, 6 Aug).
You see the rest of The Hundred 2025 wildcard draft picks in full HERE.
Featured Images — Press shot (supplied via The Hundred)/ Dan Heap (via Flickr)
Sport
Manchester City are reimbursing fans who travelled to watch their defeat against Bodo/Glimt
Danny Jones
A bunch of Manchester City players are preparing to refund fans who travelled to watch the shock defeat against Bodo/Glimt earlier this week.
In case you missed the surprising score, Man City were on the end of a very unexpected result against the Eliteserien side, losing 3-1 in what was the club’s first-ever win in the Champions League.
More than that, it was also the first time a Norwegian team had won in the competition in nearly two decades, making it a historic night for the nation, albeit one to forget for the Blues.
Following the European upset, as a gesture of goodwill towards supporters, select members of the squad from Pep Guardiola’s so-called leadership group have now pledged to cover the trip made by the dedicated away fans, from the match ticket itself to travel costs.
JUST IN: Manchester City's players are reimbursing fans who watched their Champions League defeat against Bodo/Glimt.
They are covering the cost of match tickets for game which Pep Guardiola's side lost 3-1 🚨
The message from City stars is as follows: “Our supporters mean everything to us. We know the sacrifice that our fans make when they travel across the world to support us home and away, and we will never take it for granted.
“We also recognise that it was a lot of travelling for the fans who supported us in the freezing cold throughout a difficult evening for us on the pitch. Covering the cost of these tickets for the fans who travelled to Bodo is the least we can do.”
Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Scandinavian native Erling Haaland, who had a less-than-ideal return to his home country on Tuesday night, are said to be the individuals covering the fees
As per multiple reports, the figure is said to be just under £10k – approximately £9,357 spread across a total of 374 matchgoers, to be specific.
While the club and the players, specifically, have been praised by plenty for what many have labelled as a ‘classy move’, some are suggesting that the statement actually signals the opposite regarding their opponents, who shone on the night.
Scoring twice in quick succession midway through the first half before bagging the third and ultimately decisive goal in the 58th minute, it could have been four or five.
Bodo/Glimt had moments ruled offside and hit the woodwork in both halves.
Despite City pulling one back and showing promise of getting back in the game through Rayan Cherki, that momentum was quickly crushed when the aforementioned and only recently returning, Rodri, was sent off after a second yellow around the hour mark.
Following the arguably equally unexpected blow in the Manchester derby last weekend, it’s been a tough few days for the players and fans alike, but they still stand a chance of beating Arsenal to the Premier League title this season.
You can see the highlights from the Bodo/Glimt vs Man City game here.
Former Chelsea midfielder reportedly linked with late move to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Manchester United are rumoured to have been linked with former Chelsea midfielder and England international, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
With not long left of the January transfer window, however, a decision would need to be made soon if the deal stands a chance of being completed.
Loftus-Cheek, who came through the Chelsea youth system before being loaned to Crystal Palace and Fulham, now plays for Italian giants AC Milan.
Having spent a couple of years in Serie A now, he had a very solid debut campaign – scoring 10 times and registering a couple of assists in four appearances whilst helping dictate from deep – but it now looks like his time at the club could be ending, with Man United floated as a potential next destination.
🚨 | Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
United are considering signing a midfielder on loan to bolster their hopes of Champions League qualification.
That’s according to sports journalist Alex Crook, anyway, who claims that the Red Devils have been given the chance to sign the 29-year-old before the end of the month.
As per the update via talkSPORT, the chief football correspondent claims that United are debating bringing in another option in the middle of the park on loan, at the very least, as they chase down a return to Europe next season, and Loftus-Cheek is one of the names that has been linked with a move.
He explains that “talks are only exploratory at this stage, but Loftus-Cheek is keen to return to the Premier League”; the Lewisham-born central midfielder has struggled to gain regular minutes and have the same impact so far this term.
It remains to be seen just how much interest there is on Man United‘s end, but if the reports are to be believed, the opportunity looks to be there.
Crook goes on to add that INEOS are also thought to be exploring a deal for ex-Leicester City and previous MUFC transfer target, Wilfred Ndidi.
Having left the Premier League back last year after the best of seven years with the Foxes, Ndidi is currently captain not only at Beşiktaş, as well as his national team, Nigeria, who just reached the AFCON semi-finals.
It is believed that he wants a return to English football for both career prospects and ‘family reasons’.
Now 29 and nearly a whole decade on from first being linked with him during his time at Genk, many supporters have reacted by stating that he should have been recreated years ago, and that potentially turning to older shortlisted names on a temporary contract isn’t the right direction for the club.
Do you see either of these players being brought in and/or working out at Old Trafford, Reds?
Danny Jones -
15th July 2025 
