'He was forced out' - David Lloyd lambasts England team management for mishandling James Anderson’s retirement

Head coach Bredon McCullum met legendary cricketer James Anderson ahead of the English summer to inform him that the team wants to focus on the future, particularly Ashes 2025, where the 41-year-old may not fit in. There were doubts about his fitness and Anderson also wasn’t sure if he could make it till 2025, which played a role in him announcing his retirement from the longest format of the game.

Former cricketer David Lloyd wasn’t impressed with how the team management handled Anderson’s retirement, given that the pacer looked fit enough to continue in the first Test against West Indies in Lord’s. He picked up four wickets in the match and following this, Lloyd commented that the 41-year-old could have continued playing but alleged that the team management forced him out.

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Lloyd noted that Anderson had the accuracy, pace, and stamina to carry on and blamed the team management for their poor treatment of one of the legends. 

“The sad thing about Jimmy Anderson’s departure is that he’s bowling as well as ever. Accuracy, pace, stamina – he’s shown all those qualities and he’s still taking wickets. They say they are moving him on with next year’s Ashes in mind. I say, pick your best team. He was forced out because of his age. In this era of inclusivity, it takes the biscuit that someone has been stopped for that reason. Reader, let me tell you: I know the feeling. Inclusivity, my a**e,” Lloyd wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.

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Anderson represented England in 188 Test matches, picking 704 wickets - third highest by a cricketer in the history of the game. After his farewell match, the pacer noted that he would stick with the team for the entire summer and added that he wasn’t very sure about his future. There are talks of him sticking with England as a mentor, while Lancashire has offered him to continue playing County cricket.