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James Anderson retires with victory as England thrash West Indies

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Anderson ends career with 704 wickets off 188 matches, third on the all-time list behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708)

Staff Correspondent

Publisted at 9:26 PM, Fri Jul 12th, 2024

James Anderson enjoyed a fitting farewell to Test cricket as England routed West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on the third morning of the series opener at Lord's.

Anderson claimed three second-innings wickets in his 188th and final Test to end up with 704 in his career, third on the all-time list behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).

The 41-year-old produced a peach of a delivery - angling in, then curling away - to nick off Joshua Da Silva (9) having walked out to a guard of honour from both sets of players before West Indies resumed on 79-6 and trailing by 171 runs.

Anderson had the chance to take the winning wicket - just as Stuart Broad had done when he bowed out from cricket in the final Ashes Test at The Kia Oval last summer - but he dropped West Indies' Gudakesh Motie in his follow-through.

That left the 12-wicket Gus Atkinson to polish things off just over an hour into the day's play when Jayden Seales holed out at deep midwicket, with West Indies rolled for 136 in 47 overs.

Atkinson (12-106) is the first England bowler to take a 10-wicket match haul on debut since John Lever in India in 1976 and the first to do so at home since Alec Bedser against India at Lord's in 1946.

He also bounced out Alzarri Joseph (8) and then bowled Shamar Joseph (3) off stump on the final morning, as he backed up his 7-45 in the first innings with 5-61 in West Indies' second dig en route to a Player of the Match display.

Anderson received another guard of honour as he left the field and will now take up a role as bowling mentor for the rest of the summer, despite wishing he was not being pushed into retirement as England prepare for the 2025/26 Ashes series in Australia.

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