Former England fast bowler James Anderson has embraced his new role as a bowling mentor for the national cricket team, expressing enjoyment in working with familiar faces among the current crop of England Test bowlers. Anderson, who recently retired from international cricket after the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s, has transitioned smoothly into his mentoring duties for the remainder of the series. His involvement is set to continue as England prepares for their upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
In the first Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground, England, under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, secured a comprehensive innings victory by 114 runs against West Indies. Anderson contributed with three wickets across both innings but did not have an opportunity to bat during the match.
It Has Been An Interesting Few Days – James Anderson
Speaking to Sky Sports during the innings break, James Anderson expressed enjoyment in his new position and relief at not having to bowl in challenging conditions. Anderson also noted that his familiarity with most of the current bowlers has made the transition smoother.
“It has been an interesting few days, I have had to deal with the emotions of Lord’s and then come straight here and into a new job. I have loved it,” Anderson told Sky Sports during the Nottingham Test against the West Indies.
“I have known most of the bowlers for many years, nice to just relax and not try to bowl the tail out on a flat one. I’ve really enjoyed it so far!” he added.
“My journey as a cricketer was basically a lot of fortune. I only got into cricket because my dad played for the local club at Burnley. We didn’t play at school at all. So we look at the England dressing room, and there’s a lot of guys who’ve gone through the private school system. I’d love to create more opportunities for kids in state schools, not necessarily to go on and be professionals, but just to have the chance to play the game,” Anderson further stated.
The 41-year-old pace bowler concluded his illustrious Test career with 704 wickets from 188 matches, boasting an impressive average of 26.45. He ranks third in the all-time list of Test wicket-takers, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708). Throughout his career, he achieved three instances of taking 10 or more wickets in a single match and recorded five or more wickets in an innings on 32 occasions.
James Anderson made his Test debut in 2003 against Zimbabwe at Lord’s, where he made an impactful start by claiming figures of 5-73 in the first innings. In April 2015, he surpassed Sir Ian Botham’s long-standing record for the most Test wickets by an English bowler (384). Beyond Test cricket, the veteran also made significant contributions in ODIs with 269 wickets and in T20Is with 18 wickets for England.
