England cricket great James Anderson has confirmed he will retire from Test cricket this summer.
In a statement the 41-year-old, England’s leading wicket-taker and one of the greatest bowlers of all time, said the first Test against West Indies on 10 July will be his last.
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“I’m going to miss walking out for England so much,” Anderson said.
“But I know the time is right to step aside and let others realise their dreams just like I got to, because there is no greater feeling.”
The decision comes after Anderson held talks with Test coach Brendon McCullum, who wants to build a bowling attack for the future.
James Anderson, who turns 42 in July, is the most successful pace bowler in Test history with 700 wickets from an England record 197 matches. He made his debut in 2003
Only two spinners, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 Test wickets) and the late Shane Warne are ahead of him on the all-time list of the format’s leading bowlers, with Anderson needing just nine more wickets to overhaul the Australia leg-spinner’s tally of 708 Test wickets.
Anderson, however, managed just 10 wickets in four of England’s five Tests during a 4-1 series loss in India concluded in March.
And he has taken just 15 wickets in his last eight Tests at an expensive average of 50.8 in the last 12 months, with McCullum keen to refresh England’s attack ahead of the 2025/25 Ashes series in Australia.
