James Anderson Was Forced Into Test Retirement? Star Claims "They Made The Decision..."
James Anderson finally pulled down curtains on his glorious career during the first Test against West Indies at Lord's in July last year.
- NDTV Sports Desk
- Updated: May 29, 2025 07:21 pm IST

Former England pacer James Anderson has made a shocking claim on his retirement, saying that he had no intentions to hang his boots, and was rather forced out of the team. The ageless pace wonder finally pulled down curtains on his glorious career during the first Test against West Indies at Lord's in July last year. He signed off with four wickets in that match, finishing with 704 career scalps in 188 Tests. However, Anderson has now revealed he had no intentions to retire, and instead wanted to continue playing for another 12-18 months.
"I'm still a bit mixed on it. It's one of those things that was out of my hands. They made the decision to move away from having me in the team. That was pretty gutting at the time. I'd been preparing before my last Test match for the next six, 12, 18 months of Test cricket; I wasn't anywhere near retirement in my head. I felt I still had that want and hunger to play, to do the hard yards, the training, the skill work," Anderson told The Independent.
Anderson admitted had he not accepted a mentorship role for the remainder of the series, it would've been hard for him to process everything.
"If I'd just left the team after that West Indies Test match, it would have been more difficult for me to make sense of everything and deal with the fact that was the end. To stay around the team and still be in the dressing room, still trying to have an impact on Test matches, I think that was good for me. The reaction was above and beyond anything I'd ever expected. That last day against the West Indies: I think it was just an hour or so on that last morning but the ground was full. It was amazing to see a sea of people there," he added.
Anderson, who remains an active cricketer in County cricket for Lancashire, hopes of a possible comeback, despite admitting that "door" is probably shut.
"I think the door is probably closed, to be honest. If I got the phone call, I would seriously think about it but I just do not think that is going to happen. I don't think I could be further away from that. I think there would have to be a serious number of injuries for me to be considered," the 42-year-old concluded.