‘Not really got a choice,’ says England pacer James Anderson ahead of farewell Test at Lord’s

England pacer James Anderson is all set to play his farewell Test against West Indies at Lord’s from Wednesday (Jul 10). Speaking at a press conference ahead of his last Test, Anderson said that he ‘didn’t have choice’ but to move on.

Anderson was told by the England management ahead of the upcoming season that they were planning to move on. As a result, the pacer is all set to play his final and 188th Test in a couple days time.

“It’s difficult to say. I’ve not really got a choice,” Anderson told reporters on Monday (Jul 8) when asked if he’s quitting a bit sooner. The question was in response to Anderson’s 7/35 for Lancashire in English county earlier this month.

“It was important for me that I try and put in some good performances to finish with. I loved being out on the field with Lancashire last week. I’ve always loved playing for Lancashire. I’ve not played a huge amount for them over the last 20 years because of England duties. But every time I’ve had a chance to go back to play for them, I’ve tried to give it my all and that’s exactly what I did last week. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the win because of the north-west weather,” he added.

His after retirement plans have already been confirmed by England Cricket chief Rob Key. The veteran will be joining the national team as a mentor.

Anderson made his debut against Zimbabwe in May 2003 and has played 187 Tests – the second most after Sachin Tendulkar’s 200 and the most for England. He has 700 Test wickets to his name – the third most overall behind Australia spinner Shane Warne (708) and Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralidaran (800).

Among pacers, Anderson’s 700 wickets are the most. He’s also second on the list of bowlers with most Test wickets at home with 434 scalps to his name and behind only Muralidaran (493). Among other records, Anderson has 119 Test wickets at the Lord’s – the second most for a bowler at a single venue behind Muralidaran’s 166 at Colombo.