Anderson gets dream farewell as England rout West Indies in Lord’s Test

LONDON: Veteran pacer James Anderson concluded his glittering Test career on a winning note as England crushed West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in the first Test of the three-match series here at Lord’s.

The right-arm pacer playing his 188th and last Test for England, bowed out with 704 wickets, the most by any pacer in the history of the format.

“It’s been an amazing week, been overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground,” Anderson told Sky Sports.

“I’m just proud of what I’ve achieved,” he added.

However, his farewell was overshadowed by his successor Gus Atkinson, who backed his first-inning seven-wicket haul with a five-fer and recorded magnificent bowling figures of 12 for 106, the best by an England player on debut since 1890.

West Indies resumed their second innings at 79/6 on Day Three, needing a further 171 runs to make England bat again.

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But, James Anderson denied the touring side a chance to settle down as he got rid of wicketkeeper batter Joshua Da Silva (9) to open the floodgates.

Atkinson then ripped through to the toothless West Indies batting tail with three quick wickets to steer England to a massive victory in the series opener.

However, Anderson had a chance to conclude the match with a caught and bowled but dropped the dolly directed towards him by No.9 Gudakesh Motie.

The moment elicited gasps and groans and Anderson could just smile as he sank to his knees, the ball slipping out of his grasp as he reached for it one-handed.

For his record match figures, Gus Atkinson was adjudged the Player of the Match.

England now lead the three-match series against West Indies 1-0. The two sides now head to Nottingham, scheduled to host the second fixture from July 18 to 22.

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