James Adams

England Lions selection Adams passed 1,000 first-class runs once more in 2010, scoring 1,351 runs at an average of 48.25 from 16 matches. and established a Hampshire record-partnership for the fourth wicket of 278 runs with James Vince. In the following match against Lancashire, he batted for 10 hours and 35 minutes, making 194 runs in a defeat. Adams scored maiden one-day and T20 centuries during the season. He made 131 runs against Warwickshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40, sharing in a partnership of 168 runs for the second wicket with Carberry. In 11 one-day appearances, he scored 496 runs at an average of 49.60. he was the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 668 at an average of 39.29. making ten appearances. He played for Hampshire during their guest participation in the West Indian Caribbean Twenty20, He made six appearances, scoring 399 runs at an average of 39.90, in the 2011 season, he would be selected to play for the England Lions in a first-class match against the touring Sri Lankans. He scored 950 runs at an average of 33.92 from 16 first-class appearances in 2011, which remains as of . With Mascarenhas injured for much of the 2012 season, he assumed the captaincy in the County Championship and one-day cricket; he was the first Hampshire-born player to captain the county since the Second World War. He scored over a thousand first-class runs for the fourth time in 2012, with 1,024 at an average of 48.76. Hampshire secured a limited overs double in 2012, winning both the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the Twenty20 Cup. He scored 195 runs from 11 matches in the 2012 Twenty20 Cup, but did not make any scores over fifty. He later played in the 2012 Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa, playing in both of Hampshire's group-stage defeats. Prior to the start of the 2013 season, he played a first-class match for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Warwickshire in Abu Dhabi. In the County Championship, he scored 883 runs at an average of 39.66 from 16 matches, making two double-centuries. The first, an unbeaten 219 runs, came against Worcestershire in April. It was the highest post-war first-class score by a Hampshire captain, and was the highest since Dick Moore's 316 runs in 1937. In a draw against Northamptonshire in September, he made 218 runs in 574 minutes. Despite these scores, he struggled with consistency, recording six ducks in the County Championship. Adams scored 210 runs from 12 matches in the competition, did not score any half-centuries, and averaged below 20 for the first time since 2009. He led Hampshire to promotion from the Second Division of the County Championship. In 16 Championship matches, he scored 1,215 runs at an average of 43.39, making eight half-centuries and one double-century. He passed 10,000 first-class during the season. with Adams scoring 258 runs and averaging exactly 43. Adams struggled for form at the beginning of the 2015 County Championship, averaging 29.15 by mid-July. He temporarily stepped-down as captain on 18 July to concentrate on finding form with the bat, with Vince taking over the captaincy in all formats. In Hampshire's run to finals day in the T20 Blast, Adams scored 152 runs from ten appearances, making one half century. He injured his ankle in a pre-season net session in Barbados, missing the first two matches of the 2016 County Championship, with illness in July causing him to miss some matches. In 14 Championship matches, he scored 897 runs at an average of 35.88, making eight half centuries. He made only two one-day appearances in the One-Day Cup in 2017. He also signed a one-year contract extension in November.

During the winter, he played one-day cricket for Hampshire when they were invited to play in the West Indian Regional Super50. He played in all eight of Hampshire's fixtures, scoring 285 runs at an average of 40.71; In the 2018 season, he 764 runs at an average of 31.83 from fifteen first-class matches, making two centuries against Cardiff MCCU (182 not out) and Yorkshire (147). In the One-Day Cup, he scored 142 runs from seven matches, averaging 28.40. and had good levels of awareness and concentration, allowing him to construct an innings whilst assessing the bowling, pitch, and conditions. In 123 one-day appearances, all for Hampshire, Adams scored 4,032 runs at an average of 39.52, making 30 half-centuries and two centuries. He made 135 T20 appearances, scoring 2,643 runs at an average of 24.02, making nine fifties alongside his two centuries. Across all formats, Adams made 462 appearances for Hampshire, scoring nearly 20,000 runs. Alongside Carberry and Vince, he formed one of the most potent T20 batting partnerships in T20 cricket.

Coaching career Adams joined the Hampshire Second XI as a coach in February 2019. In June 2025, he deputised for Adrian Birrell as Hampshire's head-coach for the One-Day Cup, with Hampshire reaching the final. Birrell was succeeded by Russell Domingo, with Adams staying on to assist him as batting coach. Adams coached in the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia for the Hobart Hurricanes, doing so in the 2024–25 and 2025–26 BBL's.