Shane Warne has shared a unique idea to prolong the career of pacer James Anderson who inches closer to 600 wickets becoming the first pacer to do so. James Anderson holds the record for most wickets for England in both Tests and ODIs and is on the verge of becoming the first pacer to reach 600 Test wickets.
James Anderson who is 38 years of age may not feature in all Test matches in future for England but former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has suggested a method for England to get the most out of the pacer and extend his career by a couple of years or so. He is inching close to 600 wickets in the ongoing series against Pakistan.
Shane Warne Suggests James Anderson’s Career Could Be Extended By Picking Him As Bowling Coach For Overseas Tours
Due to his awesome record in England, Shane Warne feels James Anderson should be an automatic choice when the team hosts the other Test-playing nations but reckons every time England tour overseas, the pacer could travel with the team as a bowling coach or consultant.
“Watching Jimmy [James Anderson], he’s a class act. I’m interested to see how things pan out now he’s 38,” Shane Warne told Sky Sports. “You want Jimmy to play as long as he possibly can, so is there a way he could be bowling coach away from home? Then, in England, you say ‘we want you to play for another three or four years. If you’re picking your side here [in England], Anderson is your first pencilled in. Is he your first pencilled in overseas? I’m not sure.”
James Anderson debuted at the age of 20 in 2002 in ODI and in 2003 in Tests and featured in 2003 World Cup and is the first England bowler to reach 500 wickets and surpassed Australian pacer Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets becoming the leading wicket-taker among pacers in 2018.
Shane Warne Feels The Best Time To Retire Is When A Player Is At Peak Form
Shane Warne feels the best time to retire is when a player is at the peak form of his life than retiring when one is not at his best. Shane Warne announced retirement after serving his country for 15 years from 1992 to 2007. He retired with 708 wickets in 145 Tests and is the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests behind another spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who has exactly 800 wickets.
“That’s the best thing – to go out on top, when people think you can still play for longer. Because then they miss what you brought to the table, miss watching you play. If you play too long, people start saying, ‘he should retire, he’s not at his best’,” Warne said.
James Anderson was believed to announce retirement by many cricketers and commentators. But England quick smashed those rumours and said retirement will not come soon. James Anderson had said that he was looking forward to playing the 2021 Ashes in Australia, and expressed his eagerness to partner Stuart Broad who also has more than 500 wickets to his name. James Anderson is in track to play the challenging test series in Australia despite being plagued by injuries often.
He has picked up 110 wickets against India and 104 wickets against Australia. His favourite ground is probably Lord’s where he has picked up more than 100 wickets. He has picked up 64 wickets in Nottingham and 41 wickets so far in Oval too.