James Anderson bid farewell to international cricket following England’s victory over West Indies at Lord’s. In his final Test match, Anderson showcased his prowess by taking four crucial wickets, including the dismissals of Jayden Seals in the first innings and Kraigg Brathwaite, Alick Athanaze, and Joshua De Silva in the second innings. His exceptional bowling, characterized by both inswing and outswing deliveries, was on full display, capping off a legendary career with 704 Test wickets the highest tally by any fast bowler in history, and the third-highest overall after Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.
Reports indicate that James Anderson will remain part of the squad for the ongoing series, focusing on mentoring bowlers in the nuances of pace bowling. England Test captain Ben Stokes has urged Anderson to extend his stay as a bowling coach, not only for the upcoming Ashes series in 2025 but also for the foreseeable future.
“Yeah, definitely. That’s why we’re asking him to stay around. If he’s got the desire to help bowlers progress like he did with his own career, honestly I can’t think of a better person to able to influence all the fast bowlers. I’m really excited to see how that goes,” said Stokes as quoted by Daily Mail when asked if Anderson can turn his role of mentor into a permanent role in the team with an eye on Ashes 2025.
Anderson, who finished his Test career with 704 wickets, has expressed his willingness to support the team in a mentoring capacity.
“I’m definitely not going to tell someone how to bowl. I’ll be a sounding board – I’ll be there if they need me. I’ll watch every ball they bowl and try to help them as much as I can” said Anderson replying to this query.
After 21 years and 188 Test matches, Joshua Da Silva became James Anderson’s final wicket, marking the end of his illustrious career. With Anderson’s experience and guidance, England’s emerging fast bowlers stand to gain invaluable insights from one of the sport’s premier seamers. Currently, Neil Killeen holds the position of fast bowling coach but has seen limited involvement with the Test side. Anderson’s potential role as a coach could signify a notable shift in England’s coaching strategy for their pace attack.
Proud Of What We Have Achieved: James Anderson
Nasser Hussain, Anderson’s first England captain asked him about his feelings immediately after he bowled his last over in international cricket.
“I’m still gutted that I dropped that catch, to be honest, but it’s been an amazing week and I have been quite overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd,” said Anderson in response to Nasser Hussain.
Following their victory at Lord’s, England secured vital points in the standings. Despite this win, they occupy the bottom position in the table, having accumulated 33 points from 11 Test matches, including four wins and six losses. Their current win percentage stands at 25%. Prior to this triumph, England had suffered a string of four consecutive defeats against India earlier in the year.
