James Anderson set to mentor England’s quicks after Test exit – Times of India

NEW DELHI: James Anderson, the legendary English fast bowler, will transition to a new role in the team’s coaching staff as a fast-bowling mentor after retiring from Test cricket following the upcoming series opener against the West Indies at Lord’s.

The 41-year-old Anderson stands as the first seamer and only the third bowler overall, after spinners Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, to achieve the remarkable feat of taking 700 Test wickets.

His decision to retire comes as England prepares for future challenges, including the 2025/26 Ashes series, prompting a shift in their team strategy.

But England managing director Rob Key, as quoted by AFP, told reporters on Monday: “After the Lord’s Test, Jimmy will continue in our set-up, and he’ll help a bit more as a mentor.”

Key added: “He has got so much to offer English cricket. We don’t want to see that go.

“When we asked him, he was keen. He is going to have a lot of options. English cricket would be very lucky if he chooses to stay in the game.”

Anderson is currently showcasing his skills for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship at Southport. However, his future in first-class cricket remains uncertain.

“What he does with Lancashire will probably work out after the Lord’s Test,” said Key.

England’s squad for the first two matches of the upcoming three-Test series against the West Indies includes three uncapped players, notably Jamie Smith, who has been chosen as the wicketkeeper ahead of both Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes.

Smith, aged 23, has been in exceptional form, boasting an average of over 50 in the County Championship this season. His Test call-up was marked by a brilliant century, scoring exactly 100 for Surrey against Essex on Sunday.

Typically a specialist batsman for Surrey, Smith’s selection comes despite Ben Foakes usually taking on wicketkeeping duties for the reigning county champions.

“Sometimes you’re selecting people for what they’re going to be as well, and where you think they can progress to,” said Key.

“It’s very much the start for Jamie Smith. We feel he’s going to be a fantastic international cricketer.”

Key, asked how Smith would cope with the demands of keeping wicket for 90 overs a day in a Test match when he is not a regular behind the stumps, said he had consulted several former England wicketkeepers in Chris Read, James Foster and Alec Stewart — Smith’s boss at Surrey.

“Some of the guys have been the best keepers in the country… We use them a lot really and we trust a lot of their opinions,” Key explained.

Key added Bairstow, 34, “needs to get back to what he was a couple of years ago”, when the Yorkshireman hit six Test centuries in 2022.

Bairstow, however, has faced challenges recently after nearly a year out of the game due to a serious leg break suffered in a freak accident on a golf course.

“Generally his form, in all formats, has just been going slightly in the wrong direction,” said 45-year-old former England batsman Key.

“It’s an arduous task being a keeper and you want someone who can back up series after series. We weren’t convinced that Jonny would be able to do that, especially at the stage of his career that he’s at.”

Key spoke publicly for the first time since England, defending champions, were defeated by India in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.

England managed to win only one out of four matches against fellow Test sides during a tournament in the Caribbean and the United States, following a disappointing defence of their 50-over World Cup title in India last year.

These losses have raised doubts about the roles of England’s white-ball captain, Jos Buttler, and coach Matthew Mott. However, Key emphasized that he would carefully consider their futures ahead of England’s upcoming white-ball series against Australia in September.

“I’m not going to rush anything on that,” he said.

“At times I thought we showed how good we were and at times we were inconsistent. We’ll let the dust settle on the World Cup and then move forward from there.”