James Anderson, England’s veteran bowler, will play his 188th and final Test against the West Indies at Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 10. The 41-year-old, who will turn 42 later this month, feels that despite his age, he can still bowl as well as he has during his career.
Speaking to reporters, Anderson remarked, “I still feel as fit as I ever have, like I’m bowling as well as I ever have. I still think I could do a job,” Anderson said on Monday (July 8), two days out from the Test. “But at the same time I understand that it has to end at some point. The fact that it now is just something I’ve got to deal with and accept.”
In response to the question of whether he could have kept playing, Anderson said, “It’s difficult to say. I’ve not really got a choice.”
The experienced bowler was pushed to pull down the curtains after an assessment meeting in a Manchester hotel in May with Test captain Ben Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum, and ECB Director of Cricket Rob Key. The three told Anderson during that discussion that they would be selecting fast bowlers who would probably be included in Australia’s winter Ashes series in 2025. Anderson claimed he had not considered how he would terminate his England career prior to that encounter.
“I wouldn’t say it was a surprise, because when the three big dogs invited me to a hotel in Manchester for a chat I didn’t think it was just a normal appraisal,” he said. “I had a suspicion that that was going to be the case. I think they were surprised at how calm I was and I was probably surprised at my reaction. I wasn’t overly emotional or angry about it.”
“I saw their point of view and appreciated them taking the time to lay it out for me. Since then I’ve come to terms with it and made peace with that decision. I’m just looking forward to one more game and then see what’s ahead.”
Following this final Test match, Anderson will spend the rest of the summer serving as a mentor before determining whether to play first-class cricket for Lancashire or take on a more permanent coaching role for the winter tours of Pakistan and New Zealand. He remarked, “That’s way too far ahead,” he said. “We’ll just see how these next two months go. I think they want to see if I’m any good at it, whether I fit into what they want from a coaching group, and then I’ll see if I enjoy it.”
“Coming off the back of seven-for last week, obviously I feel like I’m still bowling as well as I ever have. If I feel like I can still contribute to Lancashire or they need me, then I’m sure that’s a conversation we’ll have in the next few months.”
22 years ago, Anderson made his international debut in December 2002 against Australia in an ODI match, and since then he has been the ace pacer for the English side. Anderson has 700 wickets from 187 Tests for England. The Englishman is the only fast bowler and third bowler to have crossed that milestone after Shane Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800).
