James Anderson’s record-breaking international cricket career will end this northern summer, following crunch talks with England head coach Brendon McCullum.
Anderson announced on Saturday that July’s first Test against West Indies at Lord’s would be his international swansong.
“Just a note to say that the first Test of the summer at Lord’s will be my last Test,” Anderson wrote on Instagram. “It’s been an incredible 20 years representing my country, playing the game I’ve loved since I was a kid.
“I’m going to miss walking out for England so much. But I know the time is right to step aside and let others realise their dreams just like I got to, because there is no greater feeling.”
Against India in Dharamsala in March, Anderson became the first seamer – and the third bowler in history – to reach 700 Test wickets, after Australian spinning legend Shane Warne and Sri Lankan wizard Muttiah Muralidaran.
Anderson turns 42 in July and his returns have dwindled, having taken just 15 wickets in his past eight Tests at an average of 50.8 over the past 12 months.
McCullum wants to modify the seam attack and build towards the future, with one eye on the 2025-26 Ashes against Australia.
Anderson’s longevity continues to cause amazement among his peers and his 187 Test appearances is another England record – only the great Sachin Tendulkar, with 200 for India, has more.
Stuart Broad, with 167, is his closest bowling challenger, although his long-time new-ball partner departed the scene in fairytale fashion last summer, taking the last of his 604 Test wickets with his final ball to help England claim a 2-2 draw in a thrilling Ashes series.
Anderson, who made his international debut in December 2002 and played his first Test in May 2003, insisted he would not follow suit and put pen to paper on a one-year central contract last October.
He played in four of England’s five Tests in the 4-1 defeat in India – the first series loss under McCullum and captain Ben Stokes – and was reliable rather than spectacular on unhelpful, slow surfaces.
Anderson needs just nine more wickets to leap above Warne’s 708 dismissals and move up to second behind Muralidaran (800) on the all-time list.
Anderson played in 194 one-day international and 19 Twenty20s before his international white-ball career ended in 2015 – the same year he overtook Sir Ian Botham’s 383 dismissals to become England’s record Test wicket-taker.
Three-and-a-half years later, Anderson overhauled Australia’s Glenn McGrath’s 563 victims to become the most prolific fast bowler of all time.
Anderson is “arguably our greatest ever cricketer”, according to his first international captain Nasser Hussain.
Anderson told his Tailenders podcast it would be “a stretch” to feature in the 2025/26 Ashes series in Australia so McCullum and captain Ben Stokes will look to the future and integrate younger seam bowling options into the England team sooner rather than later.
But Hussain, who led England when Anderson made his ODI debut in December 2002 and his Test bow in May 2003, said the country’s record wicket-taker and appearance-maker was still worth his place in the side.
Hussain told Sky Sports: “It’s fitting he should end at Lord’s. He started his Test career at Lord’s against Zimbabwe in 2003, he’s going to finish at Lord’s with 21 years in-between.
“He’s been a magnificent cricketer with everything he’s done on and off the field; his fitness, his form, his skill, his will to come back from adversity, it will be a very emotional week at Lord’s.
“But I think it’s a week he deserves, firstly because he deserves to be in that side. He is absolutely in England’s best XI still with the Dukes ball.
“He’s arguably our greatest ever cricketer, he deserves that week from the fans, for the fans and also for himself.”
Anderson’s 700 Test wickets are a record for a non-spinner while nine more dismissals in his last outing will take him beyond Shane Warne (708) and up to second on the all-time list, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan.
His 187 Test appearances is also the most by any bowler in Test history, and only the great Sachin Tendulkar, with 200 for India, has more.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt – who brought the curtain down on her own decorated career last year after taking 335 international wickets, the most by any England woman – told the BBC: “He’s going to be in mourning, like myself and the rest of the country.
“He was our hero and he’ll always be a legend of our game.”
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