James Anderson enjoyed a fitting farewell to Test cricket as England routed the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on the third morning of the opening series at Lord’s.
Anderson claimed three wickets in his 188th and final Test innings to finish with 704 in his career, third on the all-time list behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
The 41-year-old produced a peach delivery – angling, then rolling away – to nick Joshua Da Silva (9) after walking out to a guard of honor from both sets of players before the West Indies resumed on 79-6 and trailed by 171 runs.
Anderson had the chance to take the winning wicket – just as Stuart Broad did when bowing out of cricket in the final Ashes Test at The Kia Oval last summer – but he dropped Gudakesh Motie in the West Indies.
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Anderson denied Joshua Da Silva with a peach of a delivery to claim his 704th Test wicket
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Stuart Broad was in disbelief as Anderson missed a fairly simple catch that would have seen him take the wicket with the last ball.
That left Gus Atkinson’s 12-wicket haul to polish it just over an hour into the day’s play when Jayden Seales holed out at deep midwicket, with the West Indies reeling for 136 in 47 overs.
Atkinson was the first English bowler to take a 10-wicket match haul on debut since John Lever in India in 1976 and the first at home since Alec Bedser against India at Lord’s in 1976.
He also escaped Alzarri Joseph (8) and then beat Shamar Joseph (3) off stump on the last morning, as he made 7-45 in the first innings with 5-61 in the second dig in the West Indies en route to a Player of the Year performance Match it.
Anderson received another guard of honor as he left the field and will now take on the role of bowling mentor for the rest of the summer, despite wishing he was not pushed into retirement as England prepare for the 2025/26 Ashes series in Australia.
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Ahead of the final day of Test cricket, Anderson was given an emotional tribute by both sets of players.
England thrash inexperienced West Indies at Lord’s
Most of the damage to the West Indies was done on the first day with Kraigg Brathwaite’s side bundled out for 121 as they were destroyed by Atkinson in overcast conditions.
There were occasional bright spots for the West Indies in the game – opener Mikyle Louis was in fine form on his debut and produced an impressive outing, while Seales claimed four wickets.
But the inexperience of the batting line-up means England will be red-hot favorites to wrap up the winning streak with a match to spare in the second Test at Trent Bridge from Friday, even if they don’t have Anderson in their XI.
Thursday 18 July 10:00
Uncapped Matthew Potts and Dillon Pennington were the seamen in the squad omitted at Lord’s, so one of them will play in Nottingham, possibly if England opt to play the attack.
Highlights for England at Lord’s included the performances of new boys Atkinson and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Atkinson bowled with pace, hostility and not a little skill, while Smith remained crisply either side showed his qualities with the bat in beating 70 from 119 balls.
The 24-year-old, who replaced Surrey team-mate Ben Foakes as England’s wicketkeeper, started the innings in a measured manner before slowing down after leaving the batting with a tail.
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Watch Jamie Smith’s superb 70 off 119 balls on his debut for England at Lord’s
The return of Ben Stokes to the bowling was also a big boost for England, with the captain going through 18 overs in the match after recovering from knee surgery.
He bowled eight unbeaten overs in the West Indies’ first innings and then 10 in a row in the second during a game in which he passed 200 Test wickets, becoming only the third player, after Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis, to marry the feat. over 6,000 feet.
Anderson’s milestones are the takeaways from the game, but the seamer also crossed 40,000 balls in a Test career that began in 2003 and is unlikely to be replicated.
Anderson: Playing for England is the best job in the world
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Anderson reflected on the end of his 21-year Test career when he spoke to Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain in the England dressing room at Lord’s
James Anderson, speaking to Sky Sports:
“It’s been an amazing week. I’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground, and the boys as well. I’m just proud of what we’ve achieved.
“It was emotional this morning with both teams lined up, and the reaction from the crowd was pretty special. I’m still trying to hold back (the tears). I’m so proud.
“Playing for 20 years is an incredible endeavour, especially for a fast bowler, so I’m happy to have come this far and happy that I’ve been lucky enough to stay injury-free throughout my career.
“Playing for England is the best job in the world and I’ve been privileged to do it for a long time.”
Stokes: Anderson is an inspiration to many people
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England captain Ben Stokes hails Anderson as ‘an inspiration to many’
England captain Ben Stokes on James Anderson:
“The number of games and the number of wickets he has taken is phenomenal.
“Sometimes you can be at a loss for words, but if you gave me 15 minutes, I wouldn’t be able to praise him.
“He has been an incredible inspiration to so many people.
“A lot of young people, I’m sure, have looked up to him and want to emulate his career, which I think will be difficult to do.”
Hussain: Atkinson has many attributes
Gus Atkinson marked his Test debut with match figures of 12-106, becoming the first England bowler to record a 10-wicket haul since 1976.
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain on Player of the Match, Gus Atkinson:
“It’s just a small sample size on his debut but he’s got pace, he’s got accuracy and he’s got skill.
“He’s got a lot of attributes, including a late-round aggressiveness to get past tailenders.”
Watch day one of the second Test between England and the West Indies, from Trent Bridge in Nottingham, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Friday (first ball bowled at 11am).
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