Days before the final curtain comes down on one of the great Test careers, Jimmy Anderson has insisted he is “bowling as well as I ever have” and “could still do a job”. He described being bounced into international retirement as “something I’ve just got to deal with and accept”.
The 41-year-old – he turns 42 on 30 July – will make his 188th and final Test appearance against West Indies at Lord’s on Wednesday, after being nudged towards the exit by England’s management. “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,” he said.
“But at the same time I understand that it has to end at some point. The fact that it’s now is just something I’ve got to deal with and accept.”
Asked if he could have kept playing, Anderson said: “It’s difficult to say. I’ve not really got a choice.”
He has made one first-class appearance this summer: for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire last week, when he took seven wickets in the first innings. “The big thing for me is wanting to play well, bowl well and get a win,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to focus on. I’m sure the emotions during the week will change, but right now that’s what I’m trying to focus on to stop myself crying.”
As exclusively revealed in the Guardian in May, Anderson was informed at a meeting with England’s red-ball coach, Brendon McCullum, the Test captain, Ben Stokes, and the managing director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, that they intended to prioritise bowlers who were more likely to play in the next Ashes series, which starts in Australia at the end of 2025.
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“I wouldn’t say it was a surprise because when the three big dogs invited me to a hotel for a chat I didn’t think it was just a normal appraisal,” he said. “I think they were surprised at how calm I was. I was probably surprised at my reaction. I wasn’t overly emotional about it or angry about it. I saw their point of view and appreciated them taking the time out to lay it out for me.
“Since then I’ve come to terms with it and made peace with it … I completely accept the reasoning behind it. It’s important that we go to that Ashes series with guys who have got experience.”
That process starts immediately, with Surrey’s Gus Atkinson set to make his Test debut and Nottinghamshire’s uncapped Dillon Pennington also in the squad. After the opening game, Anderson will move into a mentoring role for the remainder of the summer, before deciding if he wants to continue playing first-class cricket for Lancashire or to move into coaching, joining the Test side on their winter trips to Pakistan and New Zealand.
“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.”
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England team to play West Indies at Lord’s
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Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes (capt), Smith (wkt), Woakes, Atkinson, Bashir, Anderson
West Indies may be relieved they will face Anderson in only one of their three Tests. “I don’t really want to single out Jimmy, I don’t think it’s a situation where I want to downplay others,” said Jason Holder, who returns to the Test side after missing the tour of Australia. “As everything else we’ve got to move on with the times.
“We can’t play professional sport for ever and at some point we’ve got to close the curtains. Some people get to do it on their own terms and some people don’t. It’s just unfortunate sometimes when you don’t get that chance after playing for so long.”