London, July 12 Former England fast-bowler Stuart Broad said James Anderson retiring from international cricket with a win was a nice way for him to finish his career and walk off the field with a victorious feeling. Anderson’s career ended on a high as England beat the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs at the Lord’s to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with Gus Atkinson taking 12 wickets on debut.
"I thought the moment the final wicket fell, Jimmy Anderson was the first to Gus Atkinson, giving him a big hug with a smile on his face. It's felt like a passing-over, hasn't it, in terms of the success of Gus Atkinson."
"Watching him this week, how I felt is he still looks as good as ever and it's such a nice way to finish and walk off the field, knowing you can still do it. It was wonderful to see him still do what he's done for 188 Test matches and walk off with a victory."
"Regardless of the wickets and the amount he's played, to Jimmy, it's always been about those moments in the changing room of winning a Test match with the group of people you're with. For him, looking back now as a former Test cricketer, the games he's won have been outstanding. To win his last Test match is incredible," said Broad after the match ended.
Former West Indies fast-bowler Ian Bishop lauded Anderson’s long career and stated, "There are so many things we've already talked about like his longevity and his fitness.
"He's gone where no fast bowler has gone before in terms of wickets.”
"But from a skill perspective, the ability to swing the ball and be consistent with his length, the art of evolving over 20 years. I think he's shifted the thinking in the game. He has shifted paradigms and dimensions for fast bowlers. This a sense of immortality here for James Anderson," he said.
Anderson finished his Test career as the third-most successful bowler in the longest format with 704 wickets at an average of 26.45 in 188 matches. He will now take up the role of England's bowling mentor for the Test home summer and Broad thinks he would be someone who would help bowlers a lot in the nets.
"A lot of the time, it's not the information you're sharing, it's when you're doing it and picking that time. If you go to a bowler who has just bowled eight overs for 70 and try to do something technical, that's not the right time - let them calm down."
"He's got Brendon McCullum, who's the absolute best in the business at knowing the right time to share information and check in on how things are going. Jimmy doesn't strike me as the sort of fast-bowling coach who will have a meeting after meeting, he'll drip-feed information in the nets," he said.
Asked on how England's bowling unit adapts without Anderson in Tests, Broad remarked, "What the bowling group does, is it's so important to share information consistently. If you take Jimmy Anderson out of that attack, they'll need to be talking and need to be sharing, and not go insular and be careful. Gus Atkinson is going to go (to Trent Bridge) full of confidence. I think we will see, this summer, him take the new ball."
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