England great Anderson to retire this summer
England bowler James Anderson has confirmed he will retire from Test cricket this summer. The 41-year-old, England’s leading wicket-taker and one of the greatest bowlers of all time, said the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on July 10 will be his last.The decision comes after Anderson held talks with Test coach Brendon McCullum, who wants to build a bowling attack for the future.
“I’m going to miss walking out for England so much,” Anderson said in a statement.
“But I know the time is right to step aside and let others realise their dreams just like I got to, because there is no greater feeling.”
Anderson made his debut in 2003 and has taken 700 wickets in 187 Tests – the most by any pace bowler in Test history. He is third on the all-time list of wicket-takers in Tests behind spinners Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Australia’s Shane Warne.
Anderson was due to play two matches for Lancashire in June but it is now unclear whether he will play for his county again.
“It has been an incredible 20 years representing my country, playing the game I’ve loved since I was a kid,” Anderson said.
“I’m excited for the new challenges that lie ahead, as well as filling my days with even more golf”.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years, it’s always meant a lot, even if my face often doesn’t show it.”
Richard Thompson, the chair of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said English cricket owes Anderson a ‘send-off like no other’.
“I don’t think we’ll ever see a bowler to match Jimmy again,” he said.
“It has been an honour as an England fan to watch him, and to marvel at his skill with the ball”.
“To still be bowling at the top of his game at 41 is remarkable, and he is a true inspiration and role model for peers and younger generations alike.”
Anderson has played more Tests than any other England cricketer and is second on the all-time list of Test appearances behind only India legend Sachin Tendulkar. Having struggled in last year’s Ashes against Australia, he played in four of England’s Tests in India last winter and took his 700th wicket in the fifth Test in Dharamsala.
Anderson’s former captain Michael Vaughan said the veteran is ‘England’s greatest’ but the time is right for him to move on, with the next Ashes series to be played in Australia in the 2025-26 winter.
“For England to go down under in 18 months and try to win those Ashes back then they will need some pace, so it is the right time to move Jimmy Anderson aside,” Vaughan said.
Anderson is also England’s record wicket-taker in one-day internationals but has not played white-ball cricket for his country since 2015, instead focusing on the longest format where he has become a great of the game. - BBC