‘If I’m bowling horrendously and hobbling in the field…': Anderson takes on retirement question ahead of 5th Ashes Test

James Anderson will be celebrating his 41st birthday during the Oval Test as England try to level this Ashes series, but the experienced pacer is not interested in slowing down any time soon. The pace bowler with the most wickets in Test cricket, Anderson, has enjoyed a career that has lasted close to 20 years and yet his hunger remains the same.

Anderson has not been at his best in the ongoing Ashes. He was also dropped from the Headingley Test only to make his way back into the XI for the match at Old Trafford. With England announcing an unchanged team for the Oval Test, Anderson will try to do his best to salvage a 2-2 draw for England. However, there are some fears that this could be Anderson's final ever Ashes Test, at least in England, with an ageing body only becoming more difficult to deal with.

Anderson, however, wasn't interested in fielding questions regarding his future in Test cricket. Widely considered one of the fittest cricketers in the sport's history, Anderson, in his column for the Telegraph, wrote that he wasn't done with the game just yet.

Anderson said he understood why there were concerns over his Test bowling future, with the likes of Chris Woakes and Mark Wood impressing, as well as young debutant Josh Tongue. "I still feel like I'm bowling well. I have certainly not had the returns I would have liked in this series. Everyone goes through a lean patch but you just don't want it to be in the most high-profile series we play. 10 or 15 years ago the debate would be about whether I should be dropped. Now it is about my future. I understand that. It is The Oval, the end of a series and a time for speculation."

"I keep talking to the coach and captain. They want me around, so as long as I am still hungry, and want to put in the work then I will keep trying to give my best for the team. That is exactly where I am at the minute," continued Anderson.

‘There are no thoughts about retirement’: James Anderson

The Burnley-born pacer wasn't entertaining thoughts about calling it a day, claiming he still feels his body is holding up well enough to participate in the longest format of the game, and that he could still contribute to England's success. "There are no thoughts about retirement. If I was bowling horrendously, with my pace down and hobbling around in the field I might be thinking differently. But the hunger is still there. I feel like I'm bowling well, that I can still offer something to the team."

"I felt like I bowled well at Old Trafford and if I get another chance this week, I will just keep trying the same stuff and hope my luck changes.It is just one of those things," continued Anderson, speaking of his performance at a stadium that has an end named after him. “There are always one or two players who have a lean series. It can be a batter who gets good balls and then a bit of bad luck. It felt like that was my week in Manchester. I felt like I beat the bat plenty of times, but just didn't take the wickets that you want as a bowler to help the team win.”

Anderson has also spoken about how he enjoys the environment in the England camp under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, and while it's been a subpar series with the ball from him, he continues to provide the new-ball expertise and experience that is priceless in the business end of any series for England. The hosts will look to tie it up at the Oval, and maintain their pride even if the urn may have slipped through their fingers.