Jimmy Anderson admits he doubted Test future after West Indies snub

There was a moment during the winter when Jimmy Anderson considered his commitment to Test cricket. It did not last long but, as England’s leading wicket-taker watched from afar while Joe Root’s team succumbed to a 1-0 series defeat in the West Indies, he wondered if his 19-year career had reached its end.

“I definitely questioned it,” he says. “But I think the longer time went on, the more I just, you know … I was still with the [Lancashire] lads doing pre-season training. I was still doing the gym work and wasn’t bored of it. I wanted to be there doing it. Irrelevant of what was going to happen in the summer I wanted to start the season with Lancashire.

“The [Test squad] has not been picked yet. So we’re just waiting to see what happens with that. If I get a Test call-up then brilliant, but at the minute I’m really enjoying playing cricket.

“I talked it through with my family as well and they saw it as I did, that I’ve got more to give to the game. Whether it’s for Lancashire or for England, I’ve still got the ability to take wickets and I want to keep doing that.”

Any residual doubts – along with Root’s stumps – were shattered on Sunday after Anderson delivered a reminder that he is still capable of dismissing the world’s best batters. It was a wonderful ball, pitched on a good length around a fourth stump line before angling in with a hint of reverse swing. Two splattered poles served as a testament to Anderson’s enduring potency.

“Obviously, the player matters because he was their best player,” Anderson says, resisting the temptation to insert greater meaning in bowling the captain who left him out of his final touring squad. “We’ve not fallen out or anything. I spoke to him before he announced that he was stepping