‘I wasn’t angry, I just felt shocked’ – Firstpost

James Anderson made a stunning revelation about his retirement earlier this year, saying he felt like Joe Pesci’s character Good guys when he
met England Test captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullumonly to be told that the team would like to move on from him.

The 42-year-old pacer had played his
final Test against West Indies at Lord’s earlier this year he collected four wickets in his farewell Test, including 3/32 in the second innings, to finish with 704 Test wickets from 188 appearances to his name and almost 1,000 in international formats.

However, it wasn’t quite the farewell on his own terms that Anderson had hoped for, with the Lancastrian admitting he wasn’t upset at being shown the door by team management rather than being part of their plans for the start of next year. Ash Down Under.

“When I walk towards them, I get cold. This isn’t a team review, right? I feel like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, being led into a room with the impression that I’m going to be made, only to be shot,” Anderson revealed to The Guardian.

“I don’t think I was angry. I was just shocked. But honestly, I would continue as long as my body let me. Maybe I needed that push to say this is a good time to wrap up,” he added.

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Anderson was given the chance to end it at the home of the Ashes last year alongside former new-ball partner Stuart Broad. Broad has retired from international cricket in style
by collecting his 604th Test wicket of the final episode of his careerhelping England level the five-match series at 2-2 with a 49-point win at The Oval.

Anderson, meanwhile, decided to continue playing in pursuit of the milestone of 700 wickets and beyond, hoping to become the all-time leading wicket-taker. However, after a modest run during the tour of India earlier this year, in which he collected 10 wickets at an average of 33.50, the team management decided that they needed to bring a new face into the attack, keeping in mind next year’s Ashes .

However, the pace legend has since been welcomed back into the England senior team, albeit as a bowling coach. And Anderson, for one, says he’s learning more about himself in his new role.

“I find it quite exciting that I will learn another job and learn more about myself and whether I am good at it. So it’s been quite interesting and as a coach I can now see that the decision has actually benefited the team because there have been more opportunities for bowlers to come in and do well,” Anderson added.