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Legendary James Anderson enjoyed a fitting farewell to Test cricket as England routed West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on Day 3 of the series opener at Lord's on July 12.
James Anderson's fitting farewell as England dominates West Indies
In his 188th and final Test, Anderson, whose career spanned through 21 long years, took three second-innings wickets, bringing his career total to 704. This places him third on the all-time list, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708). The 41-year-old showcased his skill with a stunning delivery—angling in before curling away—to dismiss Joshua Da Silva (9). Anderson was given a guard of honour by both teams as he walked onto the field, with West Indies resuming at 79-6, trailing by 171 runs.
Anderson had the opportunity to take the winning wicket, echoing Stuart Broad's final Test moment from last summer's Ashes at The Kia Oval. However, he dropped West Indies' Gudakesh Motie in his follow-through.
Ultimately, it was Gus Atkinson who wrapped up the match just over an hour into the day's play when Jayden Seales was caught at deep midwicket, with West Indies bowled out for 136 in 47 overs. Atkinson made history by becoming the first England bowler to take a 10-wicket match haul on debut since John Lever in India in 1976 and the first to do so at home since Alec Bedser against India at Lord's in 1976. He also dismissed Alzarri Joseph (8) and bowled Shamar Joseph (3) off stump on the final morning, complementing his first-innings figures of 7-45 with 5-61 in the second innings.
Anderson, the man of records
Anderson, besides breaking plethora of records, shattered on more in his final Test match, becoming the first-ever pacer in history to bowl more than 40,000 balls in Test matches. He is the first pacer to achieve this milestone and only the fourth bowler overall to do so. England's James Anderson, already the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, now holds the record for the most balls bowled by a fast bowler in Test cricket and across all formats. He has bowled 40,000 balls in Test cricket and 50,000 balls across all formats. Anderson's run-up alone in red-ball cricket has covered more than 800 kilometers.
James Anderson announced that the first Test of the three-Test home series against West Indies at Lord's would be the final match of his career. At Lord's, known as the Mecca of cricket, Anderson took one wicket in the first innings against West Indies and mesmerized with his swing in the second innings, claiming three more wickets. Anderson concluded his last Test match with a total of four wickets. Now 41 years old, Anderson may take on a different role for England in the future. In addition to his Test cricket achievements, Anderson has taken 269 wickets in 194 ODIs and 18 wickets in 19 T20 international matches. The right-arm pacer made his ODI debut in 2002 against Australia and his Test debut in 2003 against Zimbabwe. During his first five years, Anderson experienced an inconsistent run, frequently moving in and out of the team, though he did deliver a notable spell against Pakistan in the 2003 ODI World Cup. However, after 2007, Anderson transformed into a formidable force, consistently wreaking havoc with the new ball and becoming a dominant presence on the pitch.
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