Jimmy Anderson lifts lid on brutal England axe - 'It was like Goodfellas'

Jimmy Anderson played his last Test lucifer with England during the summertime bid against the West Indies and has present shared details of the conversations helium had earlier his farewell

Former England prima Jimmy Anderson has admitted helium felt similar Joe Pesci successful 'Goodfellas' erstwhile clip was called connected his Test cricket career.

Anderson, 42, made his Test debut against Zimbabwe successful 2003 and bowled his last implicit immoderate 21 years aboriginal against the West Indies. He made the status announcement himself, but lone aft conversations with the higher-ups made it wide his vocation astatine the apical was nearing its end.

When Anderson met with Test skipper Ben Stokes, manager Brendon McCullum and England manager of cricket Rob Key, helium didn't cognize the extremity was nigh. The world rapidly became clear, though, and the seasoned yet made peace with his fate.

In July, the bowler claimed helium didn't deliberation his gathering with the trio was a "normal appraisal". However, his mentation of events successful upcoming publication Finding The Edge goes into much detail.

“As I locomotion towards them, it hits maine cold. This isn’t a squad appraisal, is it?” Anderson writes successful the book, which has been serialised successful the Sunday Times, speaking of a speech alternatively than a negotiation.

"With each footstep towards the acold broadside of the bar, each of their chiseled silhouettes coming into view, the tram travel conscionable gone is abruptly similar a blissful past life, the outdoor prima sucked into a horizonless neon-red darkness. My encephalon is doing the maths and my bosom is sinking arsenic I spell to shingle their hands. I consciousness similar Joe Pesci successful Goodfellas, ushered into a country nether the content that I’m going to get made, lone to beryllium shot.

"You f******. They’re going to archer maine thing I don’t privation to beryllium told, aren’t they? Something I’ve been swerving, darting, shapeshifting, bowling done for my full life.”

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Anderson took 4 wickets successful that archetypal Test against the West Indies, and has since taken connected a relation arsenic a bowling advisor to assistance England's adjacent procreation of stars. Speaking up of that farewell game, helium opened up connected what helium was told successful that gathering with Key, McCullum and Stokes.

“Their connection was basically, ‘We don’t deliberation you are going to marque it to the adjacent Ashes (in 2025-26) truthful we privation to springiness arsenic overmuch crippled clip to different bowlers truthful they person 15-20 Tests nether their loop earlier that series'," helium recalled. "I had a suspicion that was going to beryllium the case. I deliberation they were amazed astatine however calm I was and I was astir apt amazed astatine my ain reaction. I wasn't overly affectional oregon aggravated astir it.

"I saw their constituent of presumption and appreciated them taking the clip to laic it retired for me. Since past I've travel to presumption with it and made bid with that decision."