I have had the honour of representing England as a player for a very long time, and it is the best job in the world: James Anderson

Following the first Test match at Lord’s against the West Indies, legendary England bowler James Anderson announced his retirement from international cricket. Being one of the best Test cricket players in history, he took four wickets on his swansong, three of which came in his final innings. Anderson celebrated his final victory in international cricket when England beat the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs.

The 41-year-old spoke candidly about his career after the match, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to play for England for more than 20 years. Day 3’s morning proved to be difficult, he said, particularly when the players from both teams presented a guard of honour and he received a standing ovation from the spectators.

In spite of being a fast bowler, Anderson stated that he was happy to play cricket for such a long time and that he was fortunate to have been injury-free for that amount of time.

“With two teams lining up, it was evidently a very emotional morning, and the audience’s response was very unique. Even though I’m still attempting to hold them back, I suppose my main pride comes from the fact that playing for twenty or so years was an amazing feat, particularly for a fast bowler. In the post-match presentation, Anderson said, “I’m just happy that I made it this far and happy that I have been lucky enough to stay injury-free pretty much throughout my career. Playing for England is the best job in the world, and I have been privileged to do it for a long time.”

To be honest, I’m still devastated that I lost the catch: James Anderson

Anderson’s career might have ended happily ever after, but he dropped an easy catch of his bowling. After the game, Anderson talked about it and said he was pleased of his career accomplishments despite being devastated.

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“To be honest, I’m still devastated that I missed the catch, but this week has been incredible, and I’ve been really moved by the crowd’s response as well as that of everyone else on the pitch and the boys. Simply pleased with our accomplishments, Anderson remarked.