WI vs ENG: James Anderson bids farewell to cricket as England thrashes West Indies

WI vs ENG: The greatest pacer of the era, England's James Anderson retired from international cricket on Friday. With a remarkable career spanning 21 years, he represented England in 188 test matches. He bid farewell to cricket in the first match of the summer against West Indies. Notably, the match was played on Lords, where he made his debut back in 2003. 

The stalwart bowler scalped 4 wickets in his final match, taking his tally of test wickets to 704. He scalped a wicket in first innings and dismissed three batters in final innings. 

Goodbye's don't come any harder ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UfbkFdyEe3

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 12, 2024

The fierce bowler made his debut in 2003 against Zimbabwe. Since then, he has been the most successful pacer. He is the only pacer who breached the 700-wicket mark. He stands at the third spot in most numbers of wicket takers' list alongside Sri Lanka's great Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia's Shane Warne. 

#TheGreatest pic.twitter.com/fHHfefbAy9

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 12, 2024

England beats West Indies in series opener

In the series opener encounter, dominating the West Indies, England won by an innings and 114 runs. Debutant speedster Gus Atkinson stole the limelight and scalped 7 wickets in the first innings. His fiery bowling helped England to restrict West Indies to 121 in the first innings. In response, England scored 371 with the help of Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith's brilliant fifties.  

A fitting end to an extraordinary career 🌟

James Anderson ends up with a career haul of 704 wickets as England take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.#WTC25 | #ENGvWI 📝: https://t.co/WxFa3tTYfo pic.twitter.com/jz68gKYcPU

— ICC (@ICC) July 12, 2024

West Indies failed to create momentum in its second innings. Notably, the pitch was good enough to score handy runs. The inexperienced West Indies batting line-up failed to tackle pressure and ultimately crumbled under the pressure of mammoth lead. Gus Atkinson wreaked havoc on the West Indies again, claiming a five-wicket haul. West Indies was bowled out on 136.