James Anderson Shows Class In The Final Test

Is England moving on too soon?

Joe Root has spent his entire England career playing alongside James Anderson /

He is widely regarded as one of the finest bowlers in the cricket sport's history, having taken the most wickets by a speed bowler in Test cricket history. James Anderson's retirement from Test cricket for England marks the end of an era, a 21-year-long career. The experienced speedster received embraces and pats on the back from his colleagues as England won the first Test match against the West Indies at the Lord's Cricket Ground on Friday, July 12th.

James Anderson took to the field when he was 20 years old in 2003 and ended up at the same location, the Home of Cricket. Anderson took four wickets in the last game, winning by an innings and 114 runs. He amassed a staggering 704 wickets over the course of his amazing career. Anderson will be England's fast bowling mentor for the remainder of the summer, beginning next week at Trent Bridge.

He is fortunate to be third on the all-time list, following Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708). Joe Root is saddened by James Anderson's retirement but understands England's choice to move on from the great fast bowler in order to prepare for the upcoming tour of Australia. Despite being forced to retire, Anderson, 41, appeared at ease after receiving his 188th and last cap. He is now preparing to serve as the team's bowling guru for the next two Tests and the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Root has played with Anderson in 110 Test matches and 46 times as his serving captain. Root made it quite evident that he will miss his close friend and fellow player. “For me, all I've ever known for England is playing alongside Jimmy and that's been for 12 years," said Root said in media reports.

"It's a bit of a weird one, seeing Stuart [Broad] go last year and [now] Jimmy. I'll terribly miss playing alongside him, but the fact that he'll be around for the summer will be great for the young bowlers coming through and for us to keep using that experience and everything else he has to offer the dressing room. I'm really pleased that he's been able to have the send-off that he deserves but also, it's in some ways, a little bit sad to see him go," added Root.

Mark Wood, an English fast bowler, has joined the team after Anderson’s retirement. Following England's innings triumph at Lord's, James Anderson announced his retirement from international cricket, and Wood took his position in the 14-man group. Due to his recent return from the T20 World Cup, Wood was not given a chance to play for the Lords. In James Anderson's shoes, will he be a good fit?