Cricket legend James Anderson will captain Lancashire in the County Championship game against Gloucestershire which gets under way at Cheltenham tomorrow.

England’s leading wicket-taker, who will turn 43 a week on Wednesday, has led the team in their last two four-day games, a draw against Kent and a victory away to Derbyshire.

He took over from former Australian opening batsman Marcus Harris, who missed the previous two games due to paternity leave.

The 33-year-old Harris, who played for Gloucestershire in 2022 and 2023, is included in the 14-man squad for tomorrow’s game alongside England white-ball cricketer Phil Salt, who is set to play his first red-ball match of the season.

Also included in the squad are England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and ex-England opening batsman Keaton Jennings.

Lancashire have picked up since the departure of former Gloucestershire head coach Dale Benkenstein at the end of May and they’ve enjoyed a good T20 group campaign.

They were relegated from Division One of the County Championship last season and will arrive at Cheltenham College in sixth place in the eight-strong Division Two, two places and nine points adrift of the home side.

But like Gloucestershire’s supporters, their fans will believe that a good run of form over the final five games will see them very much in the promotion frame.

Gloucestershire, meanwhile, have included Australian off-spinner Todd Murphy in a 14-man squad.

The 24-year-old has signed a short-term contract with Gloucestershire which ends after the four-day game against Middlesex, also at Cheltenham College, which starts on Tuesday 29^th July.

Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancrroft (capt), Todd Murphy, Josh Shaw, Graeme van Buuren, Zaman Akhter, Joe Phillips, James Bracey, Archie Bailey, Matt Taylor, Ajeet Singh Dale, Ben Charlesworth, Ollie Price, Miles Hammond, Marchant de Lange.

Lancashire: James Anderson (capt), Tom Bailey, George Balderson, Jack Blatherwick, Josh Bohannon, Chris Green, Marcus Harris, Tom Hartley, Matty Hurst, Keaton Jennings, Michael Jones, Phil Salt, Luke Wells, Will Williams.