Manchester: Jimmy Anderson recently turned 38, is coming off one of his most frustrating test performances in a decade, and has a slew of young and hungry hopefuls biting at his heels for a place in the England cricket team.
So, is this the end for the country’s all-time leading wicket-taker? “No, it’s not,” a bullish Anderson said Monday. “I want to play as long as I possibly can. (But) if I keep bowling the way I did, the opportunity to retire will be taken out of my hands.”
Given his age, speculation about upcoming retirement is something that Anderson will have to get used to. And it has come under sharper focus following England’s three-wicket win over Pakistan in the first test of their series last week. Anderson said he lost his rhythm and let emotions get the better of him for probably the first time in 10 years while posting figures of 1-63 and 0-34 in a frustrating match for him at Old Trafford.
“It reminded me of when I first started playing,” he said, “when you get frustrated and a little bit angry, you try to start bowling quicker and that obviously doesn’t help.”
There was even a rare no-ball for Anderson, who is fourth on the all-time list of test wicket-takers with 590 — with only spin bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble ahead of him. He knew there would be “whispers” — as he described it — about his future at the first sign of any slow-down or regression, especially since England’s fast-bowling department is stocked with more talent than perhaps ever.
“Something I have done really well throughout my career is deal with pressure that comes with playing, whether that’s the pressure of expectation or the pressure of a match situation,” he said.
“This week, I felt I didn’t deal with it very well. That is something I need to look at, go away and work on it and try and make sure if I play in the next game or the test after that or the winter, whenever I play next, I am ready to cope with that …
The minute you start thinking about whispers and things like that, it can affect you.” Anderson was rested for the second test of the three-match series England won against the West Indies last month, so being dropped for the match starting in Southampton on Thursday would be no real drama or personal crisis. The fact that the three tests against Pakistan come back to back means it is almost guaranteed he will miss out on one of them. Anderson said he will chat about his technique with England coach Chris Silverwood — a former pace bowler himself — this week and also take some advice from fellow veteran fast bowler Stuart Broad. The pair have been virtual ever-presents for England for more than a decade and have pushed each other on and off the field. “I have never counted my chickens, never thought I was definitely playing the next game. I have always worked hard whether I was at the peak of my powers or when I first started,” said Anderson. (AP)
