Ahead of India vs England Series, James Anderson Takes Aim at ECB Over Sudden Retirement Call

When England Test cricket legend James Anderson announced his retirement from the game in July 2024, many were surprised at the timing of his decision as most expected him to be a part of the India vs England Test series in 2025.

He had only just surpassed the mark of 700 wickets and was a few Test matches away from getting 200 appearances in the sport's longest format but then he chose to retire out of the blue. 

Anderson admitted later on that he was informed by head coach Brendon McCullum that the team were looking to move past him and he would not be considered for selection, which led to him announcing his retirement. 

ALSO READ | 'In Last 100 Years...' - Shubman Gill & Co. Sent Huge IND vs ENG Warning

Anderson's ‘Mixed’ Feelings on Retirement

And he also added in a recent interview that he still had mixed feelings on the call he made, even though it was out of his hands. 

"I'm still a bit mixed on it. It’s one of those things that was out of my hands. They made the decision to move away from having me in the team. That was pretty gutting at the time," Anderson told British newspaper The Independent.

Anderson also went on to admit that he was still in training mode going into the series against the West Indies and had no intention of retiring. 

ALSO READ | Gill Has An Opportunity To Do What Kohli Couldn't As IND's Test Captain

‘Still Had The Hunger to Play’

The veteran had been defying time by putting in jaw-dropping performances in the longest format of the game for a while and felt he could keep going for another year or year and a half. 

"I'd been preparing before my last Test match for the next six, 12, 18 months of Test cricket. I wasn't anywhere near retirement in my head. I felt I still had that want and hunger to play, to do the hard yards, the training, the skill work."

It will be interesting to see how England cope without Anderson in what will be a massive series for the Ben Stokes-led side.