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Retired England seamer Stuart Broad believes James Anderson must have an extremely good week to overhaul Shane Warne's tally of 708 Test scalps. Broad also reckoned the 42-year-old will carry some nerves, given it will be his final Test.
Anderson will draw curtains on his 20-year Test career when England lock horns against the West Indies at Lord's on Wednesday, July 10. With 700 wickets, the legendary pacer is currently the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests behind Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800).
In his column for Sky Sports, Broad stated that Anderson will want nothing less than a win, regardless of whether he overhauls Warne's tally.
"He might have half an eye on Shane Warne's Test wicket tally of 708 if he has a really good week but he will just want to walk off the pitch winning the game. I know he is nearly 42 and this will be his 188th Test but he will feel some nerves this week, no doubt. He won't shy away from that. He'll know a lot of eyes are on him and that people will be hoping and wishing he does something really special," he wrote.
While Anderson wanted to continue playing, the England management urged him to retire from the format. Ben Stokes revealed that the Englishmen have started preparing for the 2025-26 Ashes series.
"Don't think they are questioning whether he is in their best team right now" - Stuart Broad on James Anderson
Broad, who retired after the 2023 Ashes, feels England's decision to let go of Anderson makes complete sense as the youngsters need time to prove themselves.
"I don't think they are questioning whether he is in their best team right now. For me, there is no doubting that. Against West Indies and Sri Lanka at home with the moving ball, he is in your XI. But they are thinking about what England need to regain the Ashes in Australia in 2025/26 and they need to give exposure to those types of bowlers and see if they are good enough at Test level. At the moment, they are slightly unproven," he wrote in his column.
Aside from West Indies, England will also host Sri Lanka during the summer.
