Jimmy Anderson could delay his Lancashire return

Jimmy Anderson could sit out Lancashire's first game of the season versus Kent at Canterbury next week as he plots to win back his Test place.

Anderson, 39, is yet to finalise his playing schedule as he builds towards June's three-match series with New Zealand but may opt to delay his return to action until Lancashire's second fixture against Gloucestershire at Old Trafford from April 21. 

Neither Lancashire nor Roses rivals Yorkshire feature when the first-class competition begins on Thursday.

Anderson, England's most prolific bowler in Test cricket, lost his squad place as part of England's so-called red ball reset last month but has been prolific in recent Championship seasons, claiming 11 wickets at just 7.54 runs apiece last summer following a 30-wicket haul at 9.36 as Lancashire won the Division Two title in 2019.

However, his willingness to play domestically whenever available three years ago arguably contributed to the calf injury on the first morning of the opening Test against Australia that limited him to just four overs in the Ashes.

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Meanwhile, former England player Ian Bell is to join Derbyshire as a batting consultant. Bell, who won 118 Test caps, will work under a coach he came across regularly on the international scene in Mickey Arthur.

The 39-year-old's coaching career overlapped with the final seasons of his playing days: he worked with the England Under-19 squad before retiring in 2020 and has spent time at the T10 in Abu Dhabi and as an assistant coach with Hobart Hurricanes at the Big Bash League.

The gig at Derby, which will initially be for the first couple of months of the season, will allow a player renowned for his Test