England captain Ben Stokes has wished that James Anderson could take all the 20 wickets in his 188th and final Test. Most people still have hope that the 41-year-old will prove he is still a world-class bowler in his farewell game against the West Indies, including Stokes.
England captain Ben Stokes’s dream for Anderson
Discussing Stuart Broad’s recent retirement, Stokes made a point of the need to go out on top, quoting Broad’s sentiments—the insinuation being, of course, that Anderson should follow suit.
“I hope he takes all 20 wickets if I’m being honest. I listened to Stuart talk about his retirement and wanting to go out on top and there was one thing he said that even made me think about when the time comes for me to go. He said: ‘I didn’t want a new player to come in and go I thought Stuart Broad was meant to be good. I thought: ‘Yeah that is a good thing to think about,” Stokes had said, in reference to the need to make hard decisions for the future.
Stokes praised Anderson for how brilliant he has been through his career and keeps being at the international stage. With more than 600 Test wickets under his belt, Anderson is the most successful and pivotal pacer in world cricket. His way of swinging the ball apart in both ways, alongside his consistency, has made him a part of the England team for over two decades.
While acknowledging the magnificent work that Anderson has done with the ball, Stokes reiterated the need for decisions that were in the best interest of the team.
“A decision maker can’t make a decision based on what other people might think about it. I base my decisions on what I think is best for the team here and now but with this one, there was Australia in mind.”
“It is a tough place to be when you make these decisions because they are big calls but we have to go with what we think is right for the team going forward. We have got to be big enough and brave enough to make those decisions,” he said, in particular of the preparations for the Ashes series in 18 months’ time.
Anderson’s career has been distinguished with many match-winning performances, some of them being the vital part of Ashes victories for England and some of them in successful tours in challenging conditions. His partnership with Stuart Broad became one of the best in Test history, and his mentorship had been of great value to the young fast bowlers on the England side.
As Anderson takes to the field for his final outing against the West Indies, the cricketing world will be on red alert for some kind of appropriate conclusion to a quite legendary career. The vision in Stokes’ head will go down in giving an added frisson to the event, which was already historic.
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