The former India batter James Anderson has called his time from international cricket, with a win over the West Indies during the first of the three-match series, at the iconic Lord’s, as he brought the curtains down in his 21-year Test career, which saw him grabbing 704 wickets with the red ball, the most among the pacers in this format.
The former India batter Sachin Tendulkar, the ‘God’ of the game, has congratulated James Anderson for such a long and successful career and wished him a wonderful life with good health and happiness in the second innings.
The veteran England pacer, slowly moving towards 42 in the age circle, has shown his skills of various swinging deliveries or the late swing to be the real threat in his whole career, and the mental toughness for him to show the wish to stay that long is nothing short of splendidness.
‘It has been a joy to watch James Anderson bowl’- Sachin Tendulkar
It was just a few days ago in the lead-up to the game when James Anderson was asked about his favorite batter in all those years, and he named Tendulkar, who retired from the game in 2013, having a few very intense battles with the batter.
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Coming into the Lord’s Test, Anderson needed nine wickets, standing on 700, to be the second most successful bowler in this format to go past Shane Warne’s 708-tally. But he didn’t have a great first innings as the number would suggest. Even though he went past the edge of the blade many times, there were moments when it felt like the central stage and the attention of the occasion was getting the better of him.
The second innings was quite different. He already had a huge upper hand over the West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who has been dismissed against James Anderson many times, as one would remember the 2017 Lord’s or 2015 Grenada Test.
This time, the 41-year-old went for an inswinger, and the batter had hardly any answer for the ball, only to see his stumps being rattled for one last time against this pacer. Going into Trent Bridge, the most satisfying news for him would be to see no Anderson around him, running in with the new Dukes.
The late swing has always been the weapon for the Burnley boy, and he showed it against the wicket-keeper batter of the opponent side, Joshua de Silva, who looked to turn the ball and was squared up, only to get a slight outside edge as Jammie Smith behind the stumps did the rest.
It could have been a fairytale end for James Anderson, who missed the ‘caught and bowled’ chance against Gudakesh Motie, who checked and drove the ball back to the bowler, before getting a life.
Tendulkar wished Jimmy with a goodbye note, where he spoke about his wonder spells of bowling and the five factors in his career that make him the most skillful bowler of the format.
‘Hey Jimmy! (James Anderson). You’ve bowled the fans over with that incredible 22-year spell. Here’s a little wish as you bid goodbye. It has been a joy to watch you bowl – with that action, speed, accuracy, swing, and fitness. You’ve inspired generations with your game.’ Sachin Tendulkar wrote on his ‘X’ handle. ‘Wish you a wonderful life ahead with good health and happiness as you put those new shoes on for the most important spell of your life – the time with family.’
The second of the three-match series will begin on July 18, at Trent Bridge, in Nottingham.