No one can fill James Anderson's shoes: Moeen Ali demotivates young England pacers with astonishing claim

England all-rounder Moeen Ali talked about the career of veteran pacer James Anderson ahead of his last Test match for the team. He said that no one in the team loves representing the national team in the longest format of the game as much as the pacer does.

England pacer James Anderson has been the best pacer to have played Test cricket without a doubt. The fast bowler has been one of the main reasons behind the success of the Test team the kind of longevity that he has shown is something that cannot be done by anyone.

James Anderson has not only seen the growth of the England Test team but also has played a major role in shaping the team. He is the most successful pacer in the history of the longest format of the game and even in his 40s, he is running like a youngster.

However, the longevity of James Anderson is about to end. The pacer is all set to retire from Test cricket after the first match against West Indies on 10th July. The pacer will bid adieu to the Test team as a player at the home of cricket at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Moeen Ali, who has played a fair amount of cricket with James Anderson, talked about the fast bowler's career and highlighted how he hates to lose the game. He recalled how the fast bowler was in tears when the team lost the game. Writing in a column for the Guardian, he explained:

"That grumpiness – and shyness at times – has always been misleading. I do not know anyone who loves playing cricket and representing England as much as Jimmy. The same goes for guys who hate losing. I got a taste of this in my second Test at Headingley when, nine down and after an hour and a half of us two digging in trying to save the series, he got out with two balls of the match to go.

"There I was, two Tests into my England career, watching a guy who had already experienced and achieved so much in tears at the other end. I was gutted for him, rather than myself or the team, because he worked so hard and played so well. Test cricket is pretty unforgiving and people forget what this means for guys down the order, doing the thing they are not paid to do."

There cannot be another Jimmy - Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali talked about the fighting nature of James Anderson and stated that this week is all about celebrating the pacer's achievement with the ball. He made a bold statement, saying that no one can fill his shoes. He explained:

"Although Broady was probably the better batter out of the two, I would say Jimmy was possibly the braver in terms of getting in line and getting stuck in. This week at Lord’s is about celebrating his massive achievements with the ball.

"New guys will step up, but there is no point talking about who will fill Jimmy’s boots because they will never be. Quite simply, 700 Test wickets with one game to go, there cannot be another Jimmy, especially the way the sport is going."

James Anderson has 700 wickets to his name from 187 matches that he has played for England. He is just 9 wickets away from Shane Warne's tally of 708 wickets and becoming the second leading wicket-taker in the longest format of the game.