Veteran England pace bowler James Anderson has said that age is just a number, and he does not feel like he has aged to play at the highest level for England, ahead of the start of the first Test match against South Africa.
The 40-year-old quick said that he does not feel unfit in any manner and can go on for quite a while before he would want to hang his boots from the international arena and would love to contribute to the team.
“I think that I have been blessed with a body that can cope with bowling. My action doesn’t take a huge amount of me. My speeds are still good enough. I still feel like I can throw myself around the field, chase balls to the boundary, so as long as that stays, I can’t see why I can’t go on,” Anderson explained on Sky Sports while talking to Shaun Pollock.
Anderson is playing in his 173rd Test match against South Africa that started on Wednesday, and the elusive target of 200 games shall be in his eyesight. Only Sachin Tendulkar has played 200 Tests so far.
The pacer has never looked fragile on the field so far and seems like he can continue for a few more years unless a major injury puts the brakes.
“If you talk to a lot of people, I shouldn’t be playing at 40… Age-wise definitely I should be doing something else. But for me, I don’t feel 40, it’s just a number. So as I said, as long as I am fit, contributing to the team, bowling well, and who knows how long I can go forward. Maybe 50 is a stretch but we’ll see,” Anderson added.
Anderson, however, has been asked several times about his retirement. The question gains significance if he fails to do well, but those times are very rare as he continues to trouble the batters even at this age, with the kind of experience he has.
“I felt like the age thing has been asked about, how long I will keep going, for probably five or six years now. Once you hit mid-thirties, everyone’s like you surely can’t go on much longer, but I just think that I have been blessed with a body that can cope with bowling,” Anderson said about the question he has to address at regular intervals.
With England having lost six wickets on Day 1 before rain saved the day, Anderson will look to have a crack at the Proteas batting on Day 2 and prove what he has been saying.
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