There are very few sights in cricket as pleasing as James Anderson wreaking havoc with his disciplined bowling in the overcast, gloomy mornings in England. But, it hasn’t really unfolded as expected by Anderson post-resumption of cricket. He struggled to get going against West Indies and Pakistan in the first Test.
Anderson, who recently turned 38, has only six wickets in the last three games he played for England. With age catching up and a string of ordinary performances to his name, widespread speculations about his retirement started trending on the internet.
However, the 38-years-old has brushed aside such baseless rumours and made it clear that he is not yet considering retirement from Test cricket.
“No absolutely not,” Anderson said when asked about retirement. The pacer though admitted that it had been a frustrating week for him.
“It’s been a frustrating week for me personally because I have not bowled very well, I felt out of rhythm,” Anderson was quoted as saying to Wisden.
“Probably for the first time in ten years, I got a little bit emotional on the field, started getting frustrated, let that get to me a little bit. When you get frustrated and a little bit angry, you try and bowl quicker and quicker. That doesn’t help on the field.”
The Lancashire-born is eager to play the second Test, starting from August 13, and silence his doubters.
“For me it’s a case of trying to work really hard the next couple of days, trying to figure out if there are any technical issues I can sort out. Hope that I get the nod for the next game and I can try and show people I have still got what it takes to play Test cricket,” the veteran seamer added.
“Hopefully I can continue this week and keep my fingers crossed that the captain and coach keep faith with me for the next game,” Anderson concluded.
