Legendary England pacer James Anderson revealed that he was not angry but shocked when coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes conveyed to him that his time in Test cricket was over.
Anderson played 188 Tests, taking a record 704 wickets for England from 2003-2024. He also played 194 ODIs, taking 269 wickets and 19 T20Is with 18 wickets to his name.
Anderson revealed that he felt like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas when he walked in for a meeting with England team management featuring coach McCullum and captain Stokes, where it was revealed to him that they had planned to move on.
“I don’t think I was angry. I was just shocked. But, to be honest, I would have carried on for as long as my body let me. Maybe I needed that nudge to say now’s a good time to finish,” 42-year-old Anderson told the Guardian.
But his return to the England fold as bowling coach helped him cope with life after bowling.
“If it had been completely cut out of my life I don’t think I’d have coped very well. The fact that they wanted me to stay in the group helped me. I’m still having the dressing-room environment, still seeing my mates every day, having an impact on Test matches, but obviously in a very different way,” he added.
Anderson revealed he has learned new aspects of his personality while coaching.
“I find it quite exciting that I’m getting to learn a different job and finding out more about myself and whether I’m any good at it. So it’s been pretty interesting and, as a coach, I can now see that the decision actually benefited the team because there’ve been more opportunities for bowlers to come in and do well,” he revealed.
Anderson also revealed that his job is to groom young pacers as England will embark on a tour of New Zealand, before hosting India and then going to Australia for the Ashes.
“That’s exactly what they were trying to do with the Ashes happening in a year. They want to make sure they’ve got enough players with the experience to cope,” he added.
Interestingly, James Anderson has also entered his name in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction, eyeing to find a buyer in the world’s most popular and richest league.
