James Anderson, the most successful fast bowler in the history of Test cricket, will become a fast-bowling mentor for the England coaching team after he retires from playing Test cricket against the West Indies at Lord’s next week. The 41-year-old will finish his impressive international playing career as England feels it’s time to move on without him. Rob Key, the managing director of England Cricket, highlighted Anderson’s importance to the sport. “He has a lot to contribute to English cricket. We don’t want to lose that,” Key said. “When we asked him, he was eager. He will have many choices. English cricket would be very fortunate if he decides to stay involved in the game.”
James Anderson, who has taken 700 wickets in Test cricket, is playing for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship at Southport. It’s not clear yet if he will continue playing for Lancashire, but Key said that Anderson will be with the England team “all summer.” Key also mentioned, “What he does with Lancashire will likely be decided after the Lord’s Test.” He added, “We need to talk after that to figure out what he thinks is best. So far, everything has been focused on preparing for this Test match.”
As they get ready to play against West Indies, England picked a new team for the first two out of three Test matches. They added Nottinghamshire fast bowler Dillon Pennington and Surrey’s Gus Atkinson, who has been in a Test team before but hasn’t played yet. It’s important to mention that Ollie Robinson was not chosen this time, and Mark Wood will not be playing at the beginning of the series because he just finished the T20 World Cup.
In an unexpected decision, Jamie Smith, who has not yet played for the national team, has been chosen as the wicketkeeper over Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes. Shoaib Bashir takes over from his Somerset teammate Jack Leach as the main spin bowler. Key praised Smith, who is 23 years old, calling him a “unique talent,” noting his strong batting average in first-class matches, which is over 40, and his excellent performance in the County Championship, where he is averaging more than 50.
“Sometimes you pick players not just for what they are now, but for what you believe they can become,” said Key, who used to play for England. “This is just the beginning for Jamie Smith. We think he will be a great player for the national team.”
