London, Aug 13: He might have left white-ball cricket years back and was considered as a Test specialist until his retirement last month, but for England legend James Anderson, the passion for playing cricket seems to be still very strong. The latest desire he has expressed is playing the 'The Hundred'.
Well, the former England pace spearhead Anderson, reportedly expressed his interest to play franchise cricket after he was happy to see the ball swing during The Hundred competition. It made him think that he can still utilise this skill at the highest level, he reportedly said to a section of media.
Earlier, once he quit from international cricket after the first Test at Lord's against the West Indies last month, Anderson joined the England side as the bowling mentor for the rest of the Test summer.
Perhaps the English board moved him into that role keeping the 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia in mind. So that he can groom some young English pacers into world-class bowlers under his tutelage.
As per his tall records in Test cricket, the 42-year-old took four wickets in his final Test against West Indies to finish with 704 career scalps in the format, the third behind Muttiah Muralidaran (800) and the late Shane Warne (708).
Is he satisfied after more than two decades in international cricket as a player? Well, seems he still believes he can contribute. Anderson, who finished his career with 188 Tests, 194 ODIs and 19 T20Is to his name, reportedly stated that he still believes he has the skill-set to bowl at English batters in nets.
Apart from 704 Test scalps, Anderson has to his credit, 269 ODI and 18 T20I wickets. But his last T20I was against South Africa in 2009 and he last played an ODI in 2015 versus Afghanistan. He also played Indian Premier League (IPL) for a few seasons.
Will the red ball specialist enjoy white-ball games again?
Well, you never know. Because Anderson is extremely special. He excelled even as a pacer at international Test matches till 42 years. That is simply remarkable since he was a pace bowler. Anderson played international cricket for nearly 22 years that to for a formidable side like England.
