Pitched up, swinging away, nicked through to the keeper, classic. James Anderson wasn’t going to have his boots hung up without reminding England what they’ve been so privileged to have for the last two decades.
Bowling from his lesser preferred Pavillion End, Gus Atkinson having taken 10-for on debut symbolically getting first dibs, it took Anderson just seven balls to produce his final piece of magic. Deceiving Joshua Da Silva into looking to flick into the leg side, instead feathering an edge through to Jamie Smith, Lord’s lapped it up as Anderson unfurled his arms - the crowds’ first hit of nostalgia for the day satisfied.
There will be many members of that crowd in disagreement that this has to be the final time Anderson steps out onto Test match turf. Still able to produce deliveries like the one to Da Silva, and the one which knocked out Kraigg Brathwaite’s middle stump the day before, there will be few who can dispute he’s still in England’s best crop of red ball bowlers. In his own words, he’s bowling “as well as ever”.
The crux of the decision from England’s leadership to move past Anderson is the Ashes series down under in 18 months time. For the older crop of England’s core, that’s the last challenge they have yet to overcome. “I want this team to progress over the 18 months,” said Ben Stokes before the Lord’s Test. “Because I want us to go out to Australia and win the Ashes back.”
188 Tests. 704 wickets.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 12, 2024
A remarkable 21-year career comes to an end.
Farewell, Jimmy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZfQpMdMcTv
There’s a reason Anderson isn’t part of those plans. In the last Ashes series in Australia, Anderson took eight wickets in the three Test matches he played. He hasn’t played more than three Tests in an Ashes since the 2017/18 series, a calf injury limiting his participation in 2019 and being less effective than Mark Wood and Chris Woakes keeping him out of the XI last summer.
While, at a surface level Anderson remains as capable of producing the kinds of deliveries he always has, over the last couple of years his returns and the frequency with which he produces spells no one else can have dwindled.
Since the end of 2022, he’s averaged less than three wickets per Test. His average in that time period has also crept up to above 30 for the first time in almost a decade. He also hasn’t taken a five-wicket-haul since the first match of the series against India in 2022. Rather than being ahead of the curve which he increasingly set in the latter half of his career, over the last couple, Anderson has just about managed to keep up with the rest.
There’s also the performances of those coming through behind to consider. Both England’s most recent seam debutants, Josh Tongue and Atkinson, took five-fors on debut, just like Anderson. Other names tipped to come through include Sam Cook, Dillon Pennington and others returning from injuries, Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood, along with the hopeful return of Jofra Archer next year, and Wood rested for this series. England’s cupboard is well-stocked and while none will finish with a reputation like Anderson’s, the potential number of wickets and utility they have in them for the immediate future is more than comparable.
There are holes in Stokes’ seeming determination to look to the next Ashes. Woakes flew under the radar at Lord’s, back hanging to the coattails of his renaissance last summer. In the seven Test matches he’s played in Australia, he’s taken 16 wickets at an average of 51.68. Equally considering he wasn’t picked for England’s tour of India, the chances of him making the trip to Australia are slim to none. But the less sentimental treatment of Ollie Robinson illustrates the commitment Stokes and Brendon McCullum have to moving the team forward. If the last two years have been about staying in the present, phase two of the era is now firmly in place.
Anderson will always be England’s greatest. If he’d carried on to later in the summer and beyond, there would undoubtedly be more jaffas to add to the showreel. But, with Anderson himself having lived series to series, summer to summer for the last few years, recently with varying degrees of success and more and more injuries as entered his 40s, there’s a logic to moving on, whether Anderson was ready or not. What England have to show now, as both a bowling group and a side, is that they are ready.
Follow Wisden for all ENG vs WI series updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
