One of the greatest seam bowlers the world has ever seen, England’s James Anderson, retired from cricket on Friday after his team secured a dominant victory in a Test match. Anderson ended his career with 704 wickets in Test cricket, a record unmatched by any pace bowler. As Anderson bid farewell to the Gentleman’s Game, tributes flooded in on social media from cricketers and fans alike, celebrating the GOAT pacer. However, Pakistan captain Babar Azam made an error in his congratulatory message to Anderson, referring to it as an honor to face Anderson’s “cutters.“
“It was a privilege to face your cutters, Jimmy! The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT,” Babar posted on X (formerly Twitter), then deleted it.
it is a privilege to face Babar Azam's reverse swing pic.twitter.com/QDegwq9IQ7
— Sunil the Cricketer (@1sInto2s) July 12, 2024
He later wrote the correct version, which was: “It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy!
The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT“.
It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy!
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) July 12, 2024
The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT 🫡 pic.twitter.com/fE2NMz4Iey
Anderson concluded his legendary Test career spanning 188 Test matches and more than two decades on a high note as England beat West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on Friday.
Speaking after the match, Anderson said that it was an amazing 20 years journey with the England Cricket. The veteran seamer added that it was he was overwhelmed to see the crowd’s reaction.
He further added that it was his familys journey as well.
“It’s been an amazing 20 years. Overwhelming to see the crowd reaction. It has been pretty special. Every time I wear this shirt I tried to win games for England. Has been different. Emotions have been up and down. Seeing my girls ring the bell on Day 1. It has been an amazing 20 years. You can’t have a long career without the support network behind you. It’s the familys journey as well as it is ours,” Anderson said.
Recapping the first Test match between England and West Indies, Anderson took the first wicket of the day at Lord’s sending back Joshua Da Silva to all but put an end to West Indies’ fight.
But while Anderson showcased his wares one final time, there was Gus Atkinson, on Test debut, who etched his name onto the Lord’s honours board with a ten-wicket haul – a proper handing over of the baton if ever there was one.
