Former England fast bowler Jimmy Anderson says that he did not want to retire yet. He was surprised to hear the words of coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. He told The Guardian that when McCullum and Stokes said they planned to move on from him, he felt like Joe Pesci from Goodfellas.
The bowler who has taken the most Test cricket for England said that he was not angry, he was shocked. That said, I don’t think I was angry. I was just shocked. Honestly, I could have continued playing as long as my body would allow me. Maybe I needed to realize that now is the right time to retire.
Joining the England team as a bowling coach helped him after his retirement. “If it had completely gone from my system, I don’t think I would have been able to cope very well,” he said. They wanted me to stay with the group, so that helped me. I’m still in that dressing room environment, still watching my teammates play every day. Still making an impact on Test matches, but obviously in a very different way.
Anderson says that during coaching he is learning new aspects of his personality. He said, I find it quite exciting that I am learning a different job. Learning more about myself. Figuring out whether I’m good at it or not. So it has been quite interesting and as a coach I can see now that this decision has really benefited the team because there have been more opportunities for the bowlers to come in and perform well.
There are going to be very busy times ahead for Anderson & Company. England have to tour New Zealand before hosting India. Then there is a tour of Australia for the Ashes. It is said that his main job is to prepare young fast bowlers. That said, that’s what they were trying to do with the Ashes in a year’s time. They want to make sure they have enough experienced players.
