Former English cricket player David Lloyd claims that the England Cricket Board (ECB) and head coach Brendon McCullum are pushing legendary fast bowler James Anderson into retiring. Anderson played his final Test match recently, where he took four wickets in the first Test against the West Indies at Lord’s. He retired with 704 Test wickets, second only to Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) in the all-time rankings. Anderson reportedly talked to head coach McCullum, who told him the team plans to rebuild before next year’s Ashes in Australia.
Using his own experience as an example, Lloyd noted that in this “era of inclusivity,” people are being prevented from working because of their age.
“It’s time to say goodbye to one of the best. The unfortunate part about Jimmy Anderson leaving is that he’s still bowling at his best. He’s demonstrated precision, speed, and endurance, and he continues to take wickets. They claim they’re making changes with the next year’s Ashes series in mind. But I believe they should choose the strongest team. He was pushed out due to his age, which seems unfair in a time when we value inclusivity. I can relate to how he feels. Inclusivity, in my opinion, is not being applied here,” Lloyd wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
Regarding England’s quick victory over West Indies in just three days, Lloyd criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for not spreading the wealth evenly among teams.
“I have a problem with the International Cricket Council. Let’s spread the money from cricket games more evenly. International cricket should be played by teams that are equal, but right now, some teams have more advantages than others. I want the three richest countries in cricket to think about how they would feel if they were in the West Indies’ position. The West Indies have produced some of the best cricket players ever, but their financial situation has become much worse, and they don’t have much money. I ask India, England, and Australia to do the right thing and change how they share the money from cricket games,” he said.
The next cricket game between England and West Indies will start on July 18 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
