Anderson: Had clue no clue what I would have done if cricket didn’t happen

James Anderson was shocked to learn when England Test captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum told him that they were ready to look beyond him in the red ball game, a format in which he has taken 704 wickets in 188 matches.

“I don’t think I was angry. I was just shocked. But to be honest, I would have carried on for as long as my body let me. Maybe I needed that nudge to say now’s a good time to finish,” the 42-year-old said in an interview with The Guardian.

However, Anderson’s wife, Daniella Lloyd, didn’t take it well. “She’s been my biggest supporter from when we first met. I had injuries and she was the one who motivated me to get going again. She just felt it wasn’t the right way to have done things. She felt I should go on my own terms. But I think it’s easing now.”

The England great announced his retirement in May and a month later, Anderson went on to pick seven for…