The legendary pacer of the England Cricket team, James Anderson has retired from international cricket. Meanwhile, the wife of Anderson is still upset with head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes for pushing him to retire from Test cricket.
Anderson reveals that she believes he should have been allowed to retire when he was ready and that he should still be playing for England.
McCullum, Stokes, and managing director Robert Key asked Anderson to retire because they wanted to test new bowlers ahead of the Ashes series in 2025/26. The right-arm fast bowler played his 188th and last Test match against the West Indies in July 2024 at Lord’s, known as the “Mecca of Cricket,”. He ended his career with 704 wickets.
Speaking to The Guardian, Anderson said his wife has always supported him and stood by him during tough times. He was shocked when he was told that his career had come to an end.
Anderson said
“She is still angry. She has been my biggest supporter and motivated me during the time of injuries. She didn’t like the way I was told to retire by the team management. She wanted me to retire on my terms and not by someone else’s decision. I was not angry but was shocked when I came to know about the plans. I would have carried on to play for England as long as my body let me. Maybe, I needed that nudge to remind me that it was time to leave,” he said.
He thanked the England management for allowing him to work with young players.
“They wanted me to stay with the players and it is nice to be a part of the dressing room and see my teammates during matches. I am still leaving my impact on Test matches but in a different way,” he added.
