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James Anderson has bowled his final ball in Test cricket. After 22 years of international cricket, his impressive career has come to an end.
Before this week’s Test match, he insisted that he felt as good as he ever had, and there was no marked difference against the West Indies. He took four wickets for 58 runs, and proved he still has a part to play.
On the final morning of the Test, Anderson came onto the field to a guard of honour from both sets of players and the England coaching staff. He looked emotional.
He struck in his second over of the day, as Joshua Da Silva was caught behind with a beautiful outswinger. The wicketkeeper-batter had tried to flick it into the leg side and the ball caught the edge and went safely into the gloves of Jamie Smith.
However, there was a final twist in the story. England needed one wicket, and Anderson was bowling from the Nursery End when the ball was driven back at him by Gudakesh Motie. He went one-handed and spilled the catch.
Gus Atkinson took 12 match wickets on his debut, but it was Anderson who led the side off the field to a standing ovation, as England won by an innings and 114 runs.
The final morning was all about one man, although Anderson himself has often shied away from the limelight, not even listening back to his own podcast, Tailenders. He said once in 2014, he would announce his retirement to Nasser Hussain in a post-match interview and walk off without any fuss. This was not that.
It was an occasion centred around Anderson, although admittedly he might not have wanted to retire had he been given the option. He was given the tap on the shoulder and moved on, this was the final opportunity.
The stats speak for themselves. He finished with 704 Test wickets, just four fewer than the late great Shane Warne on 708, and not far behind Muttiah Muralitharan on 800. One hundred more than any other fast bowler, and with 188 Test caps, 1,353 runs, and a high score of 81.
He mastered the craft of swing bowling, and improved his stats after the age of 35, thriving under a number of different regimes and captains. Even England head coach Brendon McCullum made his Test debut after Anderson, played 100 Tests, retired and is now head coach, while the Burnley-born bowler has just continued to hone his craft.
Stuart Broad bowed out in fairytale fashion last year, hitting a six with his final delivery, and taking a wicket with his final ball to seal England’s victory and draw the Ashes at the Oval. Sir Alastair Cook scored a century in his final match for England, also in south London.
Anderson made his debut before both of them, and retired after both. There will never be another fast bowler to achieve what he has in the game, nor his longevity.
