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The cricket fraternity expressed their respect and admiration for James Anderson, as he drew curtains to his illustrious career on Friday, July 12. The right-arm pacer played his final Test match against the West Indies, which saw England win by an innings and 114 runs. Certainly, it was a fitting farewell for the country's greatest fast bowler, who took a total of four wickets in the game.
Anderson finished his red-ball career with 704 scalps in 188 games, with 32 five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket hauls. With his tally, he ended as the third-most successful bowler in the format, behind Shane Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800). With the bat, he remained a handy customer at the tail, registering a highest knock of 81.
Although he looked supremely fit and displayed his ability to secure breakthroughs, England skipper Ben Stokes and team management were focused on building a young fast-bowling attack, primarily for the 2025/26 Ashes. The 41-year-old will now take up the role of a mentor for the side.
On that note, let's take a look at the five best expert reactions to James Anderson's final game.
1) Kumar Sangakkara hails well-rounded James Anderson
In an interaction on Sky Sports, former Sri Lankan batter Kumar Sangakkara reserved high praise for Anderson's desire to improve his skills with the growing demands of world cricket and keep an optimum pace to trouble the batters until the end of his career.
Sangakkara thinks none of the pacers like Glenn McGrath, Dale Steyn, Malcolm Marshall, Ian Bishop, or Wasim Akram can match the supremacy of Anderson in the longest format. He said on Sky Sports:
"You think about longevity, you think about skill you think about reinvention you think about consistency of pace you think about refinement of skill and then being able to do that over such a long period. I'm not sure whether you can talk about whether it's McGrath or Steyn. I'm not really sure whether there's anyone that can really stand where Jimmy Anderson is standing today."
2) "I studied his inswinger quite a lot" - Ian Bishop
Ian Bishop appeared in the aforementioned interaction and expressed his happiness to see James Anderson getting his deserved farewell and respect from the fraternity and fans. The 56-year-old also revealed that he became a better bowler after his retirement by studying the England pacer's wrist position.
"I think the whole pump and ceremony and felicitation of him is well done and should be commended because when you shifted the paradigm in the game, because it's just more than the 700 wickets plus that he's taken, he is actually set a new dimension in terms of fitness in terms of skill levels."
"I studied his inswinger quite a lot. I almost became a better bowler after I retired by studying his wrist position," he added.
Bishop also posted a tweet where he praised Anderson for his longevity and consistency. The former pacer also hoped to see England cricket effectively using Anderson's skills to build the next generation of fast bowlers.
3) "You've just got better and better" - Michael Vaughan
In a video message on Cricbuzz, former England captain, Michael Vaughan revealed that everyone in the English team were convinced of Anderson's bright future, when he made his international debut against Australia in 2002 at MCG.
"You arrived in Melbourne and those big out swingers and straight away everyone around that team knew that we had someone very very special over the years.
"You've just got better and better and better. I retired when I was 35 and I've just seen the numbers that from the age of 35 you've got 220 test match wickets which is absolutely remarkable.
Vaughan added:
"You've been the best that England have ever produced, the best that I've managed to play with you for a few test matches and a few one day internationals."
The 49-year-old also pointed out that Anderson pairing up with Stuart Broad was the best-ever combination in the longest format for quite some time.
4) "A role model for all the youngsters across the globe" - Sachin Tendulkar
Former Indian batter, Sachin Tendulkar's video message was posted by Lancashire Cricket on X, where he went down to the memory lane of England captain Nasser Hussain terming Anderson a prized asset in the years to come.
Tendulkar feels that the fast bowler's career has inspired younger generations with his skills and gave joy to his fans around the world.
"Hey Jimmy, congratulations to you on a fabulous career. I remember in 2002, it was the the first time that I saw you bowl. Nasser gave that big statement, here's the future of England cricket, he's going to lead our fast-bowling unit for years to come. You haven't disappointed English fans, and you have given a lot of joy to fans all around the globe. Whenever you came on to bowl, it was a joy to watch but not to play you."
Tendulkar added:
"You are a different person altogether. Be it the new ball or reverse swing, you had your own ways of disguising to make a batsman's life tough. You have been a role model for all the youngsters across the globe, 187 [sic] Test matches, 700+ wickets. Mind-boggling. Simply amazing, my friend, all the best to you and your family."
5) "He wanted everyone around him to get better" - Stuart Broad on James Anderson
Playing together in 138 Test matches from 2008-23, Stuart Broad and James Anderson picked up a total of 1,039 wickets at a combined average of 26.73. In a post-match show on Sky Sports, Broad revealed that the legendary pacer wanted his team-mates to get better with each game, and had a burning desire to win the game for England.
Broad further feels that with Anderson's mentorship, the players in the squad will have that winning mentality.
"Feel fortunate to be in an incredible partnership with him for a long time. He's someone who gave his all to the team and the team-mates. Not one part of him had any selfishness to him. He shared information and wanted everyone around him to get better.
"He wasn't bothered about 700 Test wickets or not bothered about finishing with a wicket. He was bothered about winning the Test match and his competitive nature is exactly from what you feed off the energy and drive. He will build that winning mentality in the changing room as well."
