James Anderson may be at peace with being forced into international retirement, but there’s one person who isn’t.
The 42-year-old played his 188th and final Test for England against the West Indies in July, where he snared four wickets at Lord’s.
Anderson, England’s leading wicket-taker of all-time, initially would have anticipated the Test series against the West Indies as just another one in the bank ahead of next year’s Ashes series in Australia.
But the trio of England director of cricket Rob Key, England coach Brendon McCullum and England captain Ben Stokes had other ideas.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT’s Jim White and Simon Jordan, Anderson lifted the lid on the meeting between the four that prompted him to call time on his international career.
Anderson likened the moment to the iconic scene in Goodfellas when Joe Pesci’s character, Tommy DeVito, walks into a room ‘oblivious to what’s going on and then gets killed’.
“I walked in there oblivious to what was going on and there was Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes there at this hotel in Manchester,” Anderson told talkSPORT.
“They just said, ‘We don’t see you making the Ashes in 18 months time, we want to give opportunities to other players and see who will take your place’. That’s how that came about.
“I definitely have made peace with it because lots of sports people say that you wake up one morning and you just know now’s the time to finish, or your standards drop or the quality of your performance drops.
“I’ve never really had that feeling, so maybe I needed that tap on the shoulder, that nudge in that direction.”
Despite the bitter blow, Anderson conceded the fact the trio wanted him to stick around in a coaching role ‘helped soften’ his exit.
Surprisingly, Anderson also admitted he ‘wasn’t as angry’ as he initially expected to be upon hearing the verdict of Key, McCullum and Stokes – but his wife did not share the same sentiment.
“My wife was particularly angry,” Anderson said.
“She was fuming, actually, and still is to this day. She still thinks I should be playing.
“But I feel like I’ve made peace with it. I guess there was some part of me that was frustrated at the time. But now I’m OK with it.”
Although Anderson may be done at international level, he is hoping to have one final hurrah after he entered the the IPL’s auction, scheduled for November 24 and 25.
He is one of 52 English players to register for the auction.
Anderson has never played in a T20 franchise league and hasn’t played a match in the format since 2014.
But at age 42, Anderson knows it’s ‘now or never’ to throw his hat into the ring and take on a new experience.
“I’ve retired from international cricket but I just feel like I’ve got more to give from a playing side,” Anderson told talkSPORT.
“I feel like my body is still in good shape. I’ve still been bowling. I’ve been away with the England team in a coaching capacity but I’ve still been bowling in the nets. I’ve been keeping up my fitness as much as I can.
“I feel like there’s an itch to scratch there. I feel like I can keep performing at a high level. I think now’s the time to do it.
“At 42 years old, I can’t come back in two or three years’ time and give it a go now, it’s now or never. I want to give it a go if I can if the opportunity comes up.”
