Sir James Anderson has pointed towards two winter additions and two emerging young talents as players to watch for Lancashire County Cricket Club as their season gets underway.
The England legend, whose international career spanned over 20 years, believes some of the winter additions will bring quality into the squad.
He said: “The ones that we’ve added to the squad in the winter, Paul Coughlin and Ajeet Singh Dale, two guys that have had good county careers so far.
“I think they can definitely add a little bit more to the squad, so I’m excited to see what they can bring.”
Paul Coughlin
Paul Coughlin arrives from Durham with over a decade of county experience having made nearly 200 senior appearances and taken more than 140 first-class wickets.
Coughlin, who is a right-hand batter and right arm medium bowler made his first-class debut for Durham in 2012 after progressing through their academy and signed his first professional contract the following year.
During his career, he has enjoyed two spells at Durham with a two-year stint at Nottinghamshire sandwiched in between.
He has captained Durham’s T20 side, including being named as Vitality Blast skipper in 2017, that same summer he represented the England Lions in Australia and the West Indies, playing 12 matches and contributing with both the bat and ball.
His career highlights include a first-class century and several five-wicket hauls, with standout performances such as a spectacular reflex caught-and-bowled in the 2024 Blast.
Despite a career that has been repeatedly disrupted through injury, Coughlin has still proven himself as an extremely talented allrounder
Now aged 33, he joins the Red Rose ahead of the 2026 season where he will be reconnecting with former teammates Keaton Jennings and Michael Jones.
Ajeet Singh Dale
Ajeet Singh Dale arrives after catching the eye with a series of impressive performances over recent seasons for Gloucestershire.
He claimed 41 first-class wickets in an extremely promising 2025.
The Bowler made his senior debut for Hampshire in the 2020 season before moving to Gloucestershire at the end of 2021.
He played a role in their 2024 vitality blast title victory and impressed against Lancashire in a high scoring championship draw.
Singh Dale also gained England Lions exposure in both 2024 and 2025 where he worked with Lancashire legend Steven Croft who was at the club from 2005 up until 2024.
Conversations with Jimmy Anderson were said to be influential in his decision to make the winter switch.
The rising stars
Alongside the new signings, Anderson was also keen to mention some of the promising young talent emerging within the squad.
He said: “Obviously we’ve got a couple of young guys in there as well.
“Rocky Flintoff and Joe Moores who are starting out their journey in the professional game.
“Both 17 years old with bags of potential, so excited to see if they get chances at some point this summer.”
Rocky Flintoff
Rocky Flintoff, who is the son of former England and Lancashire legend Andrew, signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2024.
This capped off a standout year which included centuries for England under 19s and the Young Lions.
He also holds the record for being the youngest centurion at England u19s level.
Flintoff made history when he became Lancashire’s youngest ever player making his debut aged just 16 years and 111 days.
He is a product of Lancashire’s age-group system and joined the Academy in 2023, representing the club since under 10s level.
Joe Moores
Joe Moores, who is just 17 years old, is the nephew of serial title-winning coach Peter Moores.
He made his debut for Lancashire during the 2025 Metro Bank One-Day Cup, where he posted a best of 35 in four appearances.
Moores, who is a left-handed middle order batter has represented his nation at under 19s level.
He signed professional terms with the Red Rose in December 2025 and is continuing to impress both his teammates and the coaching staff.
The season so far
Lancashire remain unbeaten in their first three fixtures of the Division Two 2026 County Championship.
The Red Rose drew in their opening fixture against Northamptonshire in a match that seen Anderson claim his 400th first-class wicket for Lancashire County.
In the second match up of the season Lancashire beat Derbyshire by 29 runs.
Lancashire built on this momentum winning again in their third match of the season, beating Gloucestershire by four wickets.
Up next for the Red Rose is a trip to the Riverside Ground to face Durham.
You can watch Anderson’s full response here:
(Featured Image by Ciaran Thomson)
