Former England Captain Andrew Strauss was honest in his goodbye words for veteran seamer James Anderson, who announced his retirement the past week. Calling him the captain’s bowler, Strauss said it’s depressing to think that Anderson made his international debut before Strauss and that he retired 12 years ago – in a way complementing James for his longevity.

With Anderson announcing the first Test of this summer against West Indies at the Lord’s to be his last in the whites, Strauss said Anderson must get the send-off he deserved. Praising the most successful Test pacer (considering the number of wickets picked), Strauss said that playing at the best of his ability at the top level for over two decades, especially as a bowler, calls for the ultimate compliment.

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“I really hope he gets the send-off he deserves at Lord’s. People have been talking about this moment for years – in a way, we got lured into thinking it was never going to come. It’s been an extraordinary career with extraordinary resilience and the will to keep going. Playing sport at the highest level is not an easy thing, and bowling’s even harder. He’s one of the great bowlers of all time,” the former England captain noted.

Although Anderson played under several captains throughout his 22-year-old illustrious career, his numbers (42 Tests, 168 wickets at 27.30) under Strauss are as impressive as any. 

“He was one of those bowlers that you knew what you were going to get, every time. He had a great competitive fire and instinct, and extraordinary skill. Any captain would love to have him in their team. The other thing is that he kept fit: he never – or at least, very rarely – got injured. 

“It’s quite depressing to think that he made his England debut before I did. I’ve been retired for 12 years now!” he continued.

There’s life after Jimmy!

While announcing his decision to retire from Tests, Anderson said he feels he cannot make it till next year’s Ashes (in Australia). Speaking on the same lines, Strauss backed Rob Key’s decision to convince Anderson to take a call on his future for his and England’s Test team’s good.

“We’ve only got a certain number of fixtures [18, including Anderson’s farewell against West Indies] between now and the next Ashes, and even Jimmy himself would admit that the next Ashes is looking like a stretch. It’s the right time to get some games into some new players and obviously a huge hole to fill. If you think about [Stuart] Broad going last summer and now Anderson, it’s very hard to replace them overnight.

“They were both utterly dependable and were senior bowlers, so you need to invest time and effort, and other people need to step up and take those leadership roles. So I think it is the right time. Often, you don’t fully appreciate what you’ve lost until it’s gone – but there has to be life after James Anderson,” Strauss said.

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