Two counties rule out Anderson, Hampshire eye England legend, Notts get Robinson

Nottinghamshire are close to sealing the signature of England’s comeback king, Ollie Robinson, The i Paper understands. The 32-year-old England seamer took 28 wickets at a staggering cost of just 9.32 this summer – after spending two-and-a-half years on the international sidelines. He was named England Cricketer of the Year at the Vitality Cricket Media Club Awards at Lord’s earlier this week. And now looks set to call Trent Bridge home in 2027, following his stepfather Paul Farbrace out of what has become a revolving door at Hove. Robinson had been released by Yorkshire in 2014 but then made his name on the south coast, eventually forcing his way into the England side in 2021. If he does leave, he’ll be another high-profile bowling exit from the Division One club, with the exciting Henry Crocombe – who made his England bow in the recent one day triangular series – having been snapped up by Surrey in July. Nottinghamshire, who won the title in 2025, are looking to strengthen their bowling resources after finishing fourth, three points behind Sussex, in Division One. Dom Kelly, who was released by Hampshire at the end of the season, is also currently training with the Midlands county having impressed in a series of Second XI runouts towards the end of the summer. Bell in line for Hampshire call Bell has coached in domestic and international cricket since retiring (Photo: Getty) The coaching merry-go-round also gathered pace on Friday, when Russell Domingo left his role as Hampshire’s head coach after less than a year in the job. Ian Bell – who has worked extensively for GMR-owned franchises in the past – is an early front-runner for the role. It’s also thought that Shane Burger would be interested in stepping up from his current job as the county’s bowling coach. English cricket risks ‘forgotten generation’ Elsewhere, there are growing fears that the starting wage for young cricketers is pricing some players out of winning contracts after being released from a county’s academy programmes. There are plenty of young cricketers currently looking for a new county contract this winter. But Tom Brown, the founder and MD of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA), tells The i Paper that the current entry level salary now makes it far harder to take a chance on a cricketer in a world of slimmed-down squads and stretched budgets. “Minimum player salaries, while important, have made it harder for counties to take a chance on players outside the traditional pathway,” he says. “What used to be a few thousand pounds to assess someone over a summer now requires a significant financial commitment, often needing board approval. “Even one-month contracts can cost upwards of £3,500 due to salaries being weighted towards the busiest months of the season.” He adds: “The danger is that we will miss everyone over the age of 18 who doesn’t get signed from their academies.” Rookie contracts were introduced to boost the salaries of those starting their careers in county cricket. The minimum salary for a “rookie”, typically a man or woman’s first professional deal, is generally around £20,000. That rises to about £28,000 at “senior pro” level – with those contracts kicking in when a player has made a certain number of first-team appearances. One academy chief says, though, that it is getting increasingly hard for those players who haven’t received England age-group recognition to break into the county game. “Since the introduction of rookie contracts, at some counties at least, there appears very little chance for any academy or ex-academy or pathway player between the ages of 18 and 23 years who haven’t been involved in the England U19s pathway to get any kind of deal,” he says. One player looking for a deal for 2027 is Joseph Eckland, who played for four counties this summer. Despite scoring heavily in Second XI cricket last summer and shining for Gloucestershire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, he’s still waiting for an offer. “It can feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall at times,” Eckland tells The i Paper. “I won’t lie, there have been some dark days over the past six months. But you just have to maintain the belief that a break is just around the corner.” Another hopeful is SACA graduate Sav Perera has now scored 18 centuries in Second XI cricket without attracting firm contract offers. Anderson closing in on 2027 deal One player who isn’t short of offers is Jimmy Anderson, who looks Surrey-bound. It has been reported that 12 counties were interested in securing his services – but The i Paper understands that Derbyshire and Hampshire are two of the counties who weren’t involved in a very congested chase. Read more Exclusive: Cricket insiders reveal where Jimmy Anderson could go next year – and his salary Comment: Australia’s pensioners are Ashes mutton ready for slaughter Sources have previously indicated that Anderson could command a salary of around £150,000, a figure that would rule out some counties, while others would have to forgo an overseas player in order to afford him. But having taken 50 wickets at an average of 17 last season, there are clearly plenty of county boards who believe that six-figure sum would be money well spent.