Goodbye James Anderson - Test cricket will never see the likes of you again

What does it mean to take 700 wickets across 20 years of Test cricket? James Anderson knows. And he will almost definitely be the last one to ever know.

The sheer scale of those numbers is difficult for cricket fans born this century to understand. It comes from an era when fax machines were still a thing, social media was not, and T20 cricket was just being conceptualised.

Who plays for 20 years, mainly Test cricket, and as a fast bowler? Why would anyone do that to their body? Anderson did, because he could, and because he was exceptional at it.

He is still going strong at the age of 41. He picked up seven wickets in the first innings for Lancashire in the county match against Notts last week.

But it was possibly because Anderson knows he has to give it his all this week when he plays his final Test – against the West Indies at Lord’s.

It is not easy to call it a day as an international player, especially when you are as exceptional as Anderson. But the call had been made earlier this year when Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes – the main decision makers of the England team – told Anderson that it was time to move on.

So, Anderson’s two-decades long career will come to an end. Maybe he was nudged towards the exit by the end of it, but you can’t expect Jimmy to simply let it go. It was sheer willpower and love for the art that brought him this far.

Anderson started as a genuine quick with a funky hairdo capable of bowling over 90mph consistently. And like almost all fast bowlers do, he got a back injury a few years into his international career.

Back injuries are like a rite of passage for any quality seamer. Anderson then forged his bowling in the fire of that injury setback, tweaking his action and making