The legendary cricketer James Anderson has opened up on his retirement and said that he felt like Joe Pesci when England head coach Brendon McCullum and red ball skipper Ben Stokes informed him that they were willing to look beyond him in the longest format of the game.
The 42-year-old said that he was more shocked than getting angry. Anderson admitted that going away from the game is bitter to swallow. The Burnley-born has been working as the fast bowling coach of the England team after his retirement.
“As I walk towards them, it hits me cold. This isn’t a team appraisal, is it? I feel like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, ushered into a room under the impression that I’m going to get made, only to be shot.”
James Anderson is the highest wicket-taker among pace bowlers in Test cricket. He picked 704 wickets in 188 tests before making his retirement.
“I don’t think I was angry. I was just shocked. But, to be honest, I would have carried on for as long as my body let me. Maybe I needed that nudge to say now’s a good time to finish,” said Anderson.
“If it had been completely cut out of my life I don’t think I’d have coped very well. The fact that they wanted me to stay in the group helped me.”
“I’m still having the dressing-room environment, still seeing my mates every day, still having an impact on Test matches, but obviously in a very different way,” he added.
James Anderson has asserted that he is enjoying his new coaching role and learning new things on his job.
He also conceded that his retirement has beneficial for the team as it opened up opportunities for new bowlers to come in and prove their mettle.
“I find it quite exciting that I’m getting to learn a different job and finding out more about myself and whether I’m any good at it.”
“So it’s been pretty interesting and, as a coach, I can now see that the decision actually benefited the team because there’ve been more opportunities for bowlers to come in and do well,” Anderson revealed.
England have some important test series in the upcoming months. They will be travelling to New Zealand before hosting India.
They also have next year’s Ashes in Australia to contend with. Anderson said that his primary role is to prepare the young pacers for the challenges ahead.
“That’s exactly what they were trying to do with the Ashes happening in a year’s time. They want to make sure they’ve got enough players with the experience to cope,” he ended.
