LONDON: James Anderson, a dedicated and long-serving member of the England cricket team, has announced his retirement from international cricket. Throughout his remarkable 21-year career, Anderson earned the moniker “king of swing” for his exceptional skills with the ball.
On Friday, the 41-year-old’s illustrious tenure as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the sport’s history concluded in an emotional farewell. England secured a commanding victory over West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in Anderson’s final appearance for the national team.
“Dear Jimmy, on behalf of England Cricket. 21 years is hard to sum up. You were there at our greatest and there at our lowest. So it’s time to thank you for your skill, for your spirit, for your genius, for your guts, for your resilience, for your records, for your feats, for your friendship, for leaving everything out there time and time again. And in that now and forever you are England cricket,” IANS quoted former captain Nasser Hussain as saying in an emotional video posted by England Cricket on X.
Anderson, a cricketing icon, embarked on his remarkable journey in 2003 at the age of 20, making his debut against Zimbabwe. Throughout his illustrious career, he achieved the unprecedented feat of becoming the first fast bowler to claim 700 Test wickets, ultimately amassing an impressive tally of 704 scalps.
In what was intended to be Anderson’s swansong match, the limelight unexpectedly shifted to the debutant Gus Atkinson. The young talent showcased his exceptional skills with the ball, claiming an astonishing 12 wickets across both innings, leaving everyone in awe of his performance.
Following the match, Atkinson and the team’s captain, Ben Stokes, shared their sentiments regarding the departure of the legendary Anderson. Their words reflected the immense respect and admiration they held for the veteran fast bowler, acknowledging his unparalleled contributions to the sport.
“An incredible inspiration for so many people. A lot of young people have looked up to him and wanted to emulate his career which is going to be very hard to do…very lucky to keep him in the dressing room. To have someone like Jimmy speaking to them and offloading his learnings is great for us going forward. Sometimes you can be a bit lost for words,” said Ben Stokes in the post-game interview.
“It’s been an incredible week. I just want to say thanks to Jimmy. Playing here in his last Test has been incredible, and to do so well has been incredible [too]. Growing up, Jimmy was someone I’d come here to Lord’s to watch. I was at mid-off looking over at Jimmy running in thinking, ‘I’ve seen this so many times on the TV’. It was amazing,” added debutant and player of the match Gus Atkinson.
