James Anderson to stay on as mentor with England after farewell Test against West Indies

Anderson is widely celebrated as England’s greatest fast bowler and holds the unique achievement of being the only pace bowler to claim over 700 wickets in Test cricket

PHOTO: AFP

England's legendary pacer, James Anderson, will continue his involvement with the national cricket team in a coaching capacity after playing his final Test match against West Indies next week at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Anderson is widely celebrated as England’s greatest fast bowler and holds the unique achievement of being the only pace bowler to claim over 700 wickets in Test cricket.

The upcoming Test against West Indies will be Anderson’s 188th and final appearance in red-ball cricket for England. However, he won’t be stepping away from the cricketing scene entirely. Rob Key, England’s Managing Director, confirmed that Anderson will remain with the team throughout the summer, contributing his vast experience to the coaching setup.

“He’s got so much to offer English cricket. We don’t want to see that go,” Key said. “When we asked him, he was keen. He is going to have a lot of options. English cricket would be very lucky if he chooses to stay in the game.”

Anderson is currently playing for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship at Southport. Key indicated that Anderson’s future plans, particularly his role with Lancashire, will be decided after his final Test.

“What he does with Lancashire will probably work out after the Lord’s Test,” said Key. “We've got some conversations to have after to find out what he thinks is the best thing to do. Everything so far has been him gearing up for this Test match.”

Last year, Anderson's long-time bowling partner, Stuart Broad, retired from cricket in a memorable fashion. Broad ended his career on a high, taking a wicket with his final delivery and helping England secure a draw in the Ashes.

England's squad for the first two Tests against West Indies:

Ben Stokes (Captain), James Anderson (First Test only), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes.