London: England Test captain Ben Stokes made an emotional tribute to James Anderson, who bowed out from international cricket after decades of dominance.
Even though Anderson fluffed a chance to end his career on a dream-like note, his accomplishments over the years sang in unity and reverberated throughout the Lord’s.
An opportunity to end his career by taking the final wicket in the opening Test against West Indies went begging by.
West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie cushioned the ball back into the hands of Anderson, but the ball popped out of the seamer’s left hand. He ended his final Test for England with figures of 1/26 and 3/32 across both innings.
In the post-match press conference, Stokes heaped praise on the 41-year-old for putting on a show since he first stepped foot donning England colours in 2003.
“Sometimes you can be a bit lost for words, and if you gave me 15 minutes, I still wouldn’t be able to compliment him enough. He is 41 years old and still always looking to improve himself as a bowler,” Stokes said as quoted from Sky Sports.
“If you look at how his career has gone, he’s just gotten better and better, and that’s a testament to his desire to always want to get better. He’s always wanted to contribute to the team and every single time he’s walked out onto the field, he’s done that. He’s a great person to look up to,” he added.
In Anderson’s farewell game, all eyes fell on debutant Gus Atkinson, who could lead the Three Lions pace attack for years that lie ahead.
After establishing his reputation in first-class cricket, Atkinson announced himself to the world with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings.
The 26-year-old reminisced about the days when he used to come to the Lord’s to see Anderson weave magic with his elegant run, effortless action and precise deliveries.
“It’s been an incredible week. I just want to say thanks to Jimmy, playing here in his last Test has been incredible,” said Atkinson.
“Growing up, Jimmy was someone I’d come here to Lord’s and watch, and standing at mid-off I was looking at Jimmy running in thinking I’d seen that so many times on the TV, so it was amazing. What’s so good with this group is you’re allowed to come in and be the player you want to be, and it’s helped me massively. To come out and do so well this week is fantastic,” he added.
After making his debut at the Lord’s in 2003, Anderson ended his illustrious career with 704 Test wickets behind the iconic spin duo Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
