James Anderson celebrated his retirement by playing cricket with Ben Stokes‘ children. The England captain responded with heartwarming enthusiasm to Anderson’s farewell outing. Earlier that day, Anderson had announced his decision to retire after taking 4 wickets in England‘s innings victory over the West Indies at Lord’s. With a final tally of 704 wickets, Anderson finished his storied career behind only Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne in the all-time Test wickets list.
Moments after his retirement celebrations with the team, the 41-year old spent time playing cricket with his teammates’ children. The video of the legendary bowler playing with the kids has gone viral amongst the fans. Stokes later revealed that his daughter had faced Anderson’s deliveries, while his son fielded neatly.
Stokes acknowledged that his children might not fully appreciate the significance of this moment yet, but would recognize its greatness in the future.
“My daughter batting and my son doing the fielding, they got no idea but one day they will @jimmy9,” posted Stokes on X (Twitter).
Despite his illustrious career, the legendary pacer Anderson was disappointed that he couldn’t end his final match on a high note. With the opportunity to claim the last wicket, Gudakesh Motie hit the ball straight to Anderson for an easy catch, but he uncharacteristically dropped it.
“While I’m disappointed about dropping that catch, it’s been an incredible week. I’m overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response from the crowd, my teammates, and everyone at the venue. Despite that one misstep, I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished,” he stated.
Anderson took great pride in his achievements with the England team, including series victories in Australia and India. Following his retirement, he is expected to join the coaching staff of the England squad.