James Anderson in action© AFP

Two of the finest batters of all time, India great Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies legend Brian Lara broke several records during their playing days, and many of them still stand till date. While Tendulkar is the all-time leading run-scorer in both Tests (15,921) and ODIs (18,426), Lara holds the record for the highest score by a batter in Tests (400) and First Class Cricket (501). While Lara has always been a huge admirer of Tendulkar, and vice-versa, the former West Indies has named a player who he thinks was even more naturally gifted than him and the ‘Master Blaster’.

Lara said that in terms for raw talent, his former teammate Carl Hooper was the best player he has ever seen.

“Carl was easily one of the best players I’ve ever seen. I would say that not even Tendulkar and myself would come close to that talent. Separate Carl’s career from playing to captaining and his numbers are very different. As a captain he averaged near to 50, so he enjoyed the responsibility. It’s sad that only as a captain did he fulfil his true potential,” Lara wrote in his new book, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Lara even mentioned that legendary West Indies batter Vivian Richard loved Hooper than him, even though he didn’t want either to be better than him.

Now listen, it needs to be said that Viv Richards never cried down on a person because he didn’t want them to be great like him. His sternness was who he was, but he never wanted you not to do well. It was just how he was. And look, Viv loved Carl. Much more than he loved me, that’s for sure. But the way Viv shows love didn’t resonate with Carl.

Recently, Lara picked two players each from England and India who can break his record of 400 runs in a Test innings.

“There were players in my time who challenged, or at least went past the 300 mark – Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sanath Jayasuriya. They were pretty much aggressive players,” Lara told The Daily Mail.

“How many aggressive players do you have playing today? Especially in the England team. Zak Crawley and Harry Brook. Maybe in the Indian team? Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill. If they find the right situation, the records could be broken – both of them,” he added.

Former captain Nasser Hussain said England’s quickfire victory over the West Indies in the first Test at the Lord’s summed up the problems the longest format of the game finds itself at. England beat West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in the first hour of day three, to now take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. While England had some red-ball preparation in the form of County Championship games, West Indies played just one three-day red-ball game against First Class Counties XI in preparation.

Moreover, the majority of the members in the West Indies squad haven’t played red-ball cricket since the wonderful eight-run win over Australia at Brisbane in January. “Those two days summed up for me where we are with Test cricket. You talk about all the batting they could have but they’re off in a white-ball sunset, you’ve got bowlers who haven’t bowled, you’ve got undercooked cricketers, and then you lose the toss and have the worst of conditions, and everyone goes ‘Test cricket is dying’.”

“But if you prepare for a Test match like that, you’ll get exactly what England get when they go away. It frustrates me because you’ve got to give Test matches the preparation that they deserve, which is a very easy thing to say but a very difficult thing to do in modern times,” said Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

There is curiosity around whether the second Test between England and the West Indies at Trent Bridge will prove to be more competitive. “The other story is ‘the West Indies are in terminal decline’ — England haven’t won in the Caribbean for two decades and (the West Indies) hold the Richard-Botham Trophy.”

“England travel to India or Australia and don’t particularly do well, so it shouldn’t just be a West Indies story. All it does is add to the fact that Test-match cricket is in a difficult place, and it is sort of self-perpetuating.”

“If you don’t look after it, then sides turn up and put in a performance like that, and everyone goes, ‘Told you, Test-match cricket is dying’. Listening to you speaking to Jimmy Anderson after 188 Test matches on the podium, I would like to think we would try to look after Test-match cricket.”

Michael Atherton, the former England skipper, elaborated on how Anderson spoke passionately about his love for Test cricket following his retirement from international cricket at Lord’s and will now take up the role of fast-bowling mentor in the red-ball team.

“Anderson said, ‘Test cricket has literally made me the person I am’. So, all the lessons he’s drawn from Test cricket — the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the coming back for that third spell at six o’clock in the evening and having to dig deep within yourself.”

“All of the things which have made him the mature person he is, Test cricket has helped him along the way. I wanted to ask him about it because it’s at a fragile time, he’s going to move onto a mentoring role and you’d hope, because there are young players coming through now who will have career choices to make.”

“You’d like to feel Jimmy would say to them ‘sometimes the easiest choices are not always the most rewarding or most fulfilling’…although everybody needs to pay the bills, one understands that.”

Arguably the greatest pace bowler of all time, James Anderson finally hung up his boots, drawing curtains to his illustrious career as an international cricketer. The England vs West Indies Test at Lord’s turned out to be his final appearance in the England shirt, with the veteran pacer ending his career at the top of the wicket-taking charts for pace bowlers, scalping a whopping 704 wickets. But, after helping England secure a victory in his farewell game, Anderson admitted that there was one moment in the final that left him quite disappointed.

In a post-match interview with Sky Cricket, Anderson held a candid chat with Egland great Nasser Hussain, under who he made his debut two decades ago.

“Obviously this morning was quite emotional with the two teams lined up and the reaction from the crowd was pretty special,” Anderson said. “But yeah, I’m still trying to hold them [tears] back now, but I think I’m just really proud of playing for 20-odd years. [It] is an incredible effort, especially for a fast bowler.

“I’m just happy that I’ve made it this far. Happy that I’ve been lucky enough to stay injury-free pretty much throughout my career. And yeah, play for England. It’s the best job in the world, so I’ve been privileged to be able to do it for a long time.”

Anderson was given a fine welcome by the palyers in both teams as he walked into the Lord’s Cricket Ground for the last time as an England international. It was truly an emotional moment for him.

“Yeah, has been different emotions, been so up and down. Saw my girls ring a bell on day one. Walking out today with both teams lined up again was pretty emotional. I forgot what I was actually trying to do with the ball,” Anderson said at a press interaction after the game. “But yeah, it’s been incredible. As I said, the reaction of crowds was phenomenal. I can’t get my head around it right now.

“But yeah, it’s just been an amazing 20 years. Every moment, every great sports person, there is the family, mother, father, wife, kids, who allow you to do what you’ve done for so long.”

‘Gutted’ To Not Get The 705th Wicket

Anderson could’ve finished his career with 705 wickets instead of 704 had he not dropped a sitter to give West Indies’ Gudakesh Motie a lifeline. He still remains disappointed about that spilled opportunity.

“I’m still gutted to have dropped that catch to be honest,” Anderson said. “But yeah, it’s been an amazing week. I’ve been quite overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground and the lads as well, just proud of what I’ve achieved.”

“I’ve been lucky to play with some amazing players,” Anderson said. “Some of the most talented cricketers that have ever played the game, but more importantly, some really good blokes and some friends that I’ve made for life.

“And it is a really special sport. I think no other sport creates this sort of atmosphere, these sorts of friendships, and part of me is a little bit jealous of these lads [who] get to experience that for the next few years. As I said, we’ve got a young team, lots of incredible talent, and the advice I’d pass on to them is just enjoy every moment, because it’s a great ride.”

Speaking of the most memorable moments as a cricketer, winning in Australia, India is what the veteran pacer has enjoyed the most.

“Winning series and winning Test matches,” Anderson said are the most special memories of his career, “it’s been the only thing that I’ve been interested in since I came into the England team – winning in Australia, winning in India becoming number one site in the world and contributing to those those series as well. Taking wickets, they’re the things that are remembered forever; playing with some of the greats in the game as well. It’s just been really really special.”

“Well, I think just the feeling that we’ve got now – winning the Test match,” he said. “There’s no better feeling – everyone’s put in the graft this week. I know it looks like we’ve dominated, but we’ve had to work really hard for this win; sharing other people’s success as well.

When asked what feeling will he miss the most, Anderon said the aches and pain.

“Gus was amazing this week on debut, Jamie Smith on debut as well. Incredible. Seeing the lads go out there and show off their talent, and then you get to sit in here after a win and celebrate those sorts of performances together is an incredible sort of thing that I’ll definitely miss.

“Feeling like I do now,” Anderson said. “I feel about 55 after the overs I’ve bowled this week. The aches and pains that you wake up with, I think I’ll miss them. But yeah, I mean, as I said, I feel really fortunate. I’ve been able to do what I’ve done for a long time and I’m just happy that I’ve made it this far.”

“I think I’ve not really thought that far ahead. I’m going to stick around for the rest of the summer with these guys. Try and help the bowling group out as much as I can, and we will see where life takes is a bit after that. I’m not looked that far ahead.”

James Anderson bowed out of international cricket on the winning side as England thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on the third day of the first Test at Lord’s on Friday. This was the 41-year-old veteran’s 188th and last Test before retiring from England duty, with Anderson’s tally of 704 Test wickets the most taken by any fast bowler in the history of the format. “It’s been an amazing week, been overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground,” Anderson told Sky Sports.

“I’m just proud of what I’ve achieved,” he added.

But it was Gus Atkinson, who ended the game when he had Jayden Seales caught in the deep, the debutant fast bowler finishing with superb match figures of 12-106 as England went 1-0 up in a three-Test series. 

West Indies were dismissed for 136 in their second innings, with Anderson — 42 later this month — taking a typically miserly 3-32 in 16 overs  

They resumed on the brink of defeat at 79-6 in their second innings, still a mammoth 171 runs behind England’s first-innings 37.

But with only four more wickets left to fall, Anderson had no chance of eclipsing Australia great Shane Warne‘s tally of 708 Test wickets and moving into second place in the all-time list headed by another spinner in Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets). 

Before Friday’s play started, both teams lined up outside the Pavilion to give Anderson a guard of honour, with the veteran paceman receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at the ‘Home of Cricket’ — where he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe back in 2003.

‘Emotional’

“Obviously this morning was quite emotional with the two teams lined up and the reaction from the crowd,” said Anderson.

“I’m still trying to hold back the tears now. Playing for 20-odd years is an incredible effort, especially for a fast bowler, so I’m happy I’ve made it this far. It’s the best job in the world and I’ve been privileged to be able to do it..”

West Indies had lost Jason Holder to Thursday’s last ball and, after Atkinson completed that over, Anderson was straight into the action at the Nursery End on Friday.

It was not long before Anderson struck in familiar fashion when Joshua Da Silva, who had added just one to his overnight eight not out, feathered a ball that angled in and nipped away to give wicketkeeper Jamie Smith a simple catch on the England Test debutant’s 24th birthday.

West Indies were now 88-7, with many left wondering why Anderson — set to become a mentor to England’s quicks — was calling it a day given he could still produce deliveries like this.

The rationale behind the selectors’ decision was the need to rebuild ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes in Australia.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Atkinson then had Alzarri Joseph out hooking a bouncer to complete a 10-wicket haul for the match.

Atkinson was just the third bowler to take at least 10 wickets on their Test debut at Lord’s after England great Alec Bedser (11-145 against India in 1946) and Australia’s Bob Massie (16-137 in 1972)  

The 26-year-old Atkinson then bowled Shamar Joseph with an excellent yorker that crashed into the base of off stump.

Anderson then missed a chance to finish the match — and his England career — in fairytale fashion when he dropped a return chance from tailender Gudakesh Motie.

“I’m still gutted I dropped that catch, to be honest,” said Anderson after close of play.

Motie then became the first West Indies batsman in the match to reach 30 but that could not disguise the failings of his top-order team-mates.

The West Indies were dismissed for just 121 in their first innings as Atkinson took a sensational 7-45.

By contrast, five England batsmen all scored fifties with Smith, a Surrey team-mate of Atkinson, contributing a stylish 70.

West Indies now have little time to regroup before the second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham starts on Thursday.

But they at least have the consolation of knowing they won’t have to face Anderson again.

England vs West Indies LIVE, 1st Test Day 3© AFP

James Anderson may be retiring after the first Test between England and West Indies, but he reminded everyone that class is permanent on Day 2 of the match. Anderson came back to bowl after England achieved a 250-run lead in the first innings. Opening the bowling, Anderson struck first, sending back West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite with a superb inswinger. Having claimed only one wicket in the first innings, Anderson produced the special delivery he’d been searching to cap off an incredible Test career.

Watch: Anderson knocks over Brathwaite with unplayable delivery

Jimmy Anderson, there are no words pic.twitter.com/bBRCS1uykD

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 11, 2024

Bowling the ninth over of the West Indies second innings, Anderson’s ball dipped low and swung back in towards the right-handed Brathwaite, who was completely foxed. It was Anderson’s 702nd Test wicket.

“Top class from James Anderson. Finally, the good bowlers will find a way through,” remarked Ian Bishop from the commentary box.

Anderson would strike again later in the day, picking up his 703rd wicket by dismissing Alick Athanaze. West Indies ended Day 2 on 79/6, staring at an innings defeat.

However, with only four more wickets left, Anderson cannot touch Shane Warne‘s tally of 708 Test wickets, and eclipse him to become the second-highest Test wicket-taker. Muttiah Muralidharan still maintains the lead at 800 Test scalps.

Atkinson steals the show in Anderson’s farewell game

As Anderson prepared to bid goodbye, another pacer saying hello to the world of Test cricket took the England-West Indies game by storm. 26-year-old pacer Gus Atkinson – making his debut – ran through the West Indies batting, picking up seven wickets in the first innings.

Atkinson’s remarkable debut helped England bundle out the Windies for a paltry 121. In reply, England put up 371, courtesy of half-centuries from Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook and another debutant Jamie Smith.

Atkinson had been picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2024, but did not play a game and eventually withdrew from the squad.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes on Thursday joined the company of West Indies great Garry Sobers and South Africa’s legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis to become the third player and first England player to secure a double of 6,000-plus runs and 200-plus wickets in Test cricket. Stokes accomplished this feat against West Indies in the first Test of the three-match series at Lord’s. Dismissing batter Kirk McKenzie in his first over, Stokes got his 200th Test wicket. In 103 Tests, he has taken 200 wickets so far. Also with the bat, he has scored 6,320 runs at an average of 35.30, with 13 centuries and 31 fifties. His best score is 258.

Meanwhile, Sobers has (8,032 runs and 235 wickets in 93 Tests) and Kallis has (13,289 runs and 292 wickets in 166 Tests).

Also, he is the sixth overall and first-ever England player to secure a double of 10,000 runs and 300 wickets in international cricket. In 260 international matches, Stokes has scored 10,368 runs at an average of 35.75, with 18 centuries and 56 fifties, with the best score of 258. He also has completed his 300 wickets in international cricket.

West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper, Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya, Kallis, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan are other players to have scored 10,000 runs and taken 300 or more wickets in Tests.

Coming to the match, England won the toss and elected to field first. West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals and never really got a breather. Mikyle Louis (27 in 58 balls), Kavem Hodge (24 in 48 balls) and Alick Athanaze (23 in 56 balls) did the bulk of scoring as Windies was skittled out for 121 runs in 41.4 overs.

In their first innings, England gained a 250-run lead and they were bundled out for 371 runs, with half-centuries coming from Zak Crawley (76 in 89 balls), debutant wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (70 in 119 balls), Joe Root (68 in 114 balls), Ollie Pope (57 in 74 balls) and Harry Brook (50 in 64 balls).

Jayden Seales (4/77) was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies. Jason Holder and Gudakesh Motie also took two wickets.

Teams:

West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Joshua Da Silva(w), Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.

James Anderson led the way in his farewell international match as England closed in on a crushing innings win over the West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday. The West Indies had slumped to 79-6 in their second innings at stumps on the second day, still a mammoth 171 runs behind England’s first-innings 371, with Anderson having taken a miserly 2-11 in 10 overs. England great Anderson came into his 188th and last Test before international retirement having already taken 700 wickets — the most by any fast bowler in the 147-year history of the format.

Yet the 41-year-old had to wait until dismissing last man Jayden Seales in the first innings to extend that tally to 701.

But it was a different story on Thursday as Anderson reduced the tourists to 12-1 by bowling West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite with a ball that nipped back off the seam.

England captain Ben Stokes then had Kirk McKenzie lbw for a duck as he became only the third man, after West Indies great Garry Sobers and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, to take both 200 wickets and score 6,000 runs in Tests.

Mikyle Louis, who had already marked his Test debut by top-scoring with 27 in the West Indies’ meagre first-innings 121, was then caught behind off Stokes for 14 as England strengthened their grip on the first of this three-match series.

The cascade of wickets continued when Kavem Hodge played on to debutant fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who had done the damage in the first innings with a spectacular return of 7-45.

Alick Athanaze offered a measure of resistance while making 22 before he fell to a combination of England’s old and new, edging Anderson — 42 later this month — low to debutant wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who celebrates his 24th birthday on Friday.

The West Indies were now 55-5, with England eyeing a repeat of their celebrated two-day win over the Caribbean side at Headingley back in 2000.

The tourists avoided that embarrassment but lost Jason Holder to what became the last ball of the day when the former captain was brilliantly caught at short leg by a diving Ollie Pope after fending at Atkinson.

Stylish Smith

Earlier Smith, averaging over fifty in the County Championship this season for title-holders Surrey, made an eye-catching 70 during an assured 119-ball innings that included eight fours and two sixes.

It was the fifth fifty of England’s innings, with Smith following Zak Crawley (76), Joe Root (68), Pope (57) and Harry Brook (50) to the landmark.

England resumed Thursday on 189-3, already 68 runs ahead and they again scored briskly against the wayward West Indies quicks before left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie briefly staunched the flow of runs by bowling both Stokes and former skipper Root with sharply turning deliveries

Smith had been chosen as England’s wicketkeeper ahead of Ben Foakes in part because the selectors felt he was better at batting aggressively with the tail than his Surrey team-mate.

He proved them right by going on the attack when pulling a six off Shamar Joseph — who later left the field with what appeared to be a hamstring injury — before launcing another off Seales over the stand.

After Shoaib Bashir was brilliantly run out by Louis’ direct hit from point, No 11 Anderson walked out to a standing ovation from MCC members in the Pavilion for what could well be his last Test innings.

Anderson was left on nought not out without facing a ball, however, when Smith holed out in the deep off fast bowler Seales, who took 4-77.

Perhaps the greatest six-hitter in T20s, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has proved his ability once again, with a stunning 107m six. Playing for Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in USA’s Major League Cricket (MLC), Russell hammered Pakistan’s Haris Rauf for a towering 107m six in the final over of their innings. Russell’s six and 15 runs off the 20th over helped LAKR to a total of 165/6 against the San Francisco Unicorns, which they were unable to defend.

The video of the six went viral on social media, posted by the official account of Major League Cricket.

Watch: Andre Russell’s gigantic 107m six

In the third ball of the final over, the mighty Jamaican power-hitter heaved a pitched-up ball by Haris Rauf into the stands over the mid-wicket region, making it the longest six of MLC season two. Russell contributed an unbeaten 25-ball 40 to help LAKR to a fighting score.

However, LAKR’s total would not be enough, as the San Francisco Unicorns made mincemeat of the target and chased it down in just 15.2 overs.

LAKR now stand on one win and two defeats after three games, having finished the previous season at the bottom of the table.

Andre Russell has been in good form in 2024. Russell contributed heavily with both bat and ball as Kolkata Knight Riders won IPL 2024. He scored 222 runs and picked up 19 wickets, finishing as the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

His turnout wasn’t as great in the 2024 T20 World Cup on home soil, as West Indies crashed out in the Super 8 stage after winning all of their group games.

However, Russell has put his T20 World Cup disappointment behind him, and reunited with Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Sunil Narine, who’s captaining LAKR in MLC. LAKR’s next match is against the San Francisco Unicorns again, on Sunday, July 14.