"There's no reason he can't go on until he decides enough is enough" - David Lloyd pays tribute to James Anderson on turning 40
Former England cricketer David Lloyd hailed James Anderson's longevity and illustrious career as the latter turned 40 on Saturday (July 30). Lloyd remains optimistic about the veteran playing in the Ashes next year and believes the right-arm seamer will continue for as long as he wants.
Anderson made his Test debut in 2003 against Zimbabwe and is now England's highest wicket-taker in the format with 657 wickets. He is also the third-highest wicket-taker in Test history and his 172 appearances make him the second-most capped player in the format too.
Happy Birthday to our 🐐
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In his column for the Daily Mail, Lloyd reflected that people have closely tracked Anderson's career to see whether age catches up with his bowling. He stated that the seamer still has pace, can bowl well at different stages, and can go on for as long as he desires.
"I guess we are always looking to see if, turning the grand old age of 40, his pace is down or whether he can still come back strong for third and fourth spells. The answers are the pace is still absolutely quick enough and yes, he can come back just as strong."
"The Ashes next year? Why not? There's no reason he can't go on until he decides enough is enough. Somebody has to knock him off his perch first."
Lloyd also lauded the senior pro for coming back well after his axing from the West Indies tour earlier this year. He said:
"I can tell you Jim was seething when England left him out of the West Indies tour earlier this year. But he kept his counsel. The Burnley lad came out again. He quietly resolved to prove them all wrong and he will continue to do that for some time yet."
Along with Stuart Broad, the selectors had left out Anderson from the red-ball leg of the Caribbean tour earlier this year. The Lancashire seamer even admitted to fears that his career had ended. However, he has enjoyed a productive home summer so far, taking 17 wickets against New Zealand and India combined.
"Jimmy is a master of his craft and is still working at it" - David Lloyd
Lloyd further claimed that iconic stars like Anderson deserve to be celebrated as he remains an inspiration for the upcoming generations for striving to be better. He said:
"We should be proud of our iconic players and 'The James Anderson 'End' should be emblazoned right across the pavilion to inspire the generations coming through."
"Jimmy is a master of his craft and is still working at it. He still wants to learn new tricks and that's great credit to him. He's not perfection - but he's far off."
We were going to ask you for your favourite Jimmy moment but…. https://t.co/fa95QHoEaB
The right-arm seamer will next be seen in the three-match Test series against South Africa, starting August 17.