James Anderson Retires From International Cricket: England cricket legend James Anderson has now retired from international cricket, leaving behind a legacy of some of the best pace bowling the sport has ever seen and what it means to be a dominant cricketer in England.
Having never shied away from competition on the field, Anderson was the soul of the England Test team for over a decade. The 41-year-old, despite his age, has been at the peak of bowling in the longest format of the game up until his retirement.
James Anderson Retires From International Cricket
It was announced some time ago that Jimmy Anderson would retire from international cricket following England’s first Test out of three against the West Indies, the retirement game being played at the mecca of cricket, Lord’s.
Before this game, Anderson had a mind-boggling 700 wickets in 187 Test matches. This makes him the highest wicket-taking fast bowler in the format and the third-highest wicket-taker behind only Muthiah Muralidaran and Shane Warne.
The first England vs West Indies game was not too bothersome for England, bowling out the opposition for just 121 in the first inning after the home team won the toss and decided to field first. In this first inning, while Gus Atkinson stole the show with a seven-wicket haul, James Anderson took one wicket and took his tally to 701.
England then scored 371 in their first inning, taking a 250-run lead. Zak Crawley was the star of the show with an 89-ball-76. Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith scored 50s too. Anderson did not get to face a delivery in what would turn out to be his final batting inning in international cricket.
In his final inning with the ball, Jimmy opened the proceedings with the wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite. He also dismissed Alick Athanaze and Joshua de Silva, taking three wickets in his final innings. The West Indies were dismissed for 136, losing the game by an inning and 114 runs. Gus Atkinson was named Player of the Match for taking seven wickets in the first inning and five in the second.
And just like that, James Anderson’s international cricket career ended. By the end, he had taken 704 wickets in 188 games with an average of 26.45 and a strike rate of 56.87. Apart from being the highest wicket-taking pacer in over a century-long history of Test cricket, he has also played the second-most Tests for any player, just 12 behind Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 200. This becomes even more impressive considering he is a fast bowler, who are the cricketers most prone to injuries and short careers.
But even after James Anderson’s retirement game, there is still a Test series to go. The second England vs West Indies will be played from July 18-22 in Nottinghamshire’s Trent Bridge Stadium.
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