"Definitely Questioned It" - James Anderson Reveals He Considered Retirement After Being Dropped From WI Test Series

England’s all-time leading wicket-taker in Test matches James Anderson is all set to make a return to test cricket when his side under a new captain Ben Stokes takes on New Zealand in a 3-match Test series in June. Anderson has played 169 Test matches to date and will play his 170th when England takes on New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s.

Recently talking at an event, James Anderson said that he contemplated retirement after being ignored from the England squad for the Test series against West Indies. His teammate Stuart Broad was also ignored from the side that lost the Test series 1-0 to the Windies.

“I definitely questioned it, yeah. That probably did come into question, I guess, do I want to carry on? But in my head, I quickly decided I did want to see what happened this year” he said, speaking at LV= Insurance’s event in Leicester.

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He further spoke about thinking hard and long about his decision and discussing the same with his family who motivated him to carry on for one last push. England is placed last on the WTC points table and Broad and Anderson will be key to getting them to move up the ladder.

“I talked it through with my family as well – and they saw it as I did – that I feel like I’ve got more to give to the game. Whether it’s for Lancashire or for England, I’ve still got the ability to take wickets and I want to keep doing that” Anderson said.

The veteran England pacer also had a word on the appointment of Brendon McCullum as their next head coach in Test matches. He will pair up with Ben Stokes as England look for a revival in the format.

Exciting Time For English Cricket: James Anderson On Brendon McCullum as England Test Coach

“I think it’s really exciting. He’s someone who I’ve played a lot of cricket against, so I know how positive he is – or how much positivity he has looking at the game. He always wants the aggressive option – he certainly did when he played and when he captained. I’m sure he’ll bring that from his coaching point of view as well. I think with him and Ben, we’re never going to take a backward step. It could be a really exciting time for English cricket” Anderson concluded saying.

Also Read: List Of Batsmen Who Got Dismissed On 199 In Test Cricket