Anderson phone call sealed Singh Dale's Lancs move
Ajeet Singh Dale has taken 102 wickets in 40 matches in first-class cricket
- Published
New Lancashire bowler Ajeet Singh Dale says a telephone call with Jimmy Anderson made up his mind about joining the club from Gloucestershire.
Singh Dale has signed a three-year contract with Lancashire where he will play under Anderson with England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker now permanent captain.
The Red Rose fought off competition from other counties to land the 25-year-old fast bowler, who made his debut for England Lions last summer.
And when director of cricket performance Mark Chilton arranged for the bowler to speak to Anderson, Singh Dale was convinced.
"Jimmy was very honest about what he wants from the group and what he's planning to do personally," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"My decision had been made based on that phone call.
"After that, I was pretty certain and I'm very happy I made that decision and I'm excited for the season now."
Jimmy Anderson took 704 wickets for England in 188 Test matches
In 2025, Singh Dale had his best season to date, taking 40 Championship wickets for Gloucestershire in 11 games. He also proved to be robust, bowling an average of 31 overs per match at good pace.
After a disappointing fourth place last year, Lancashire's aim in 2026 is promotion from Division Two and they hope that Singh Dale's extra speed can make a difference at Emirates Old Trafford where taking 20 wickets has been troublesome in recent years.
"I know a lot of people look at that as a skill of mine in terms of that I'm able to run in all day but that's just a small part of what I bring," he said.
"My consistency and pace is probably what I pride myself more on, being able to deliver over after over, ball after ball, repeatedly over a day in a four-day game.
"Over the course of a summer, hopefully that can bring match-winning performances and help push my team for first or second spot and get promoted."