Darren Lehmann reveals Northants tried to sign England legend James Anderson

Darren Lehmann has revealed that Northants tried to sign legendary pace bowler James Anderson following his release by Lancashire at the end of the summer.

But England's all-time Test wicket-taker has instead opted to make the move to London and sign for Surrey.

The 44-year-old was unveiled by the Oval club on Thursday morning, with Anderson, who claimed 704 wickets for England in 188 Test matches, having signed a one-year deal.

The decision by Lancashire to not offer Anderson a new contract, and the player's insistence that he wanted to play on, will have sparked something of a rush for his signature.

And Lehmann confirmed that Northants had sounded the player out about a move to Wantage Road.

After seeing the news of Anderson signing for Surrey, Lehmann wrote on social media: "Great signing, we tried, but ultimately he chose a bigger club.

"Northants just missed out, like many other counties.

"Would have been great for our young bowlers and our older ones as well... Jimmy Anderson, still world class."

Anderson captained Lancashire's red ball team last season and claimed 50 wickets at an average of just 17.68 in 11 matches in the Rothesay County Championship Division Two - including eight in his one outing against Northants.

That placed him seventh in the divisional list, eight behind the County's own seam bowling legend Ben Sanderson, who was third with 58 wickets.

Despite his age, Anderson believes he still as a lot to offer as a player and believes Surrey is the best place for him to play to extend his career, and an 'exciting challenge'.

"After thinking what would be best for me, what's best for my family and where I want to play, it was a fairly easy decision," he said.

"I did feel like I wanted to play again after having a good year last year. I don't feel like I'm done yet. I feel like I've got more to offer on the field.

"Surrey is such a strong squad, challenging for the Championship.

"It's the chance to play in division one again, which I haven't done for a few years. I just thought it was a really exciting challenge to try to take on.

"Weighing up all the factors, this just felt like the best fit. It's a really strong squad: past internationals, present internationals, future internationals. I just thought it would be an exciting challenge."