Emotional James Anderson Receives Guard Of Honour As His Illustrious Career Comes To An End - WATCH

An emotional James Anderson received a heartwarming guard of honour from England and West Indies before the start of Day 3 of the first Test at Lord's on Friday, July 12. The Test match marked the end of James Anderson's illustrious Test career. The right-arm pacer made his Test debut at the same venue back in 2003 and is retiring from the game as one of the most decorated bowlers of all time. As James Anderson made his final appearance as a Test cricketer, both West Indies and England players formed a guard of honour for the legend. The players lined up near the boundary as the renowned English cricketer walked out to a standing ovation from a packed crowd at the iconic Lords Cricket Ground.

Emotional James Anderson receives Guard of Honour as his illustrious career comes to an end

Star England fast bowler James Anderson received a heartwarming guard of honour from England and West Indies before Day 3 of the first Test against West Indies at Lord's on Friday, July 12. The Test match marked the end of James Anderson's illustrious Test career. The legendary pacer made his Test debut at the same venue back in 2003 and is retiring from the game as one of the most decorated bowlers of all time. The players lined up near the boundary as the renowned English cricketer walked out to a standing ovation from a packed crowd at the iconic Lords Cricket Ground. An emotional James Anderson removed his hat and acknowledged the players' gesture before play resumed.

Watch: Emotional James Anderson receives the guard of honour

#TheGreatest pic.twitter.com/fHHfefbAy9

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 12, 2024

It didn't take James Anderson long to make an impact with the ball on day 3 as he dismissed Joshua Da Silva for 9 runs in just his second over. Debutant Gus Atkinson picked up the remaining 3 wickets to complete his second 5-wicket haul in the Test, as England bowled out West Indies for just 136 runs, winning the game by an innings and 114 runs.

Earlier in the 1st Test, a 7-wicket haul from Atkinson had helped England bowl out West Indies for just 121 runs in the first innings. In reply, the hosts had scored 371 runs to take a big lead of 250 runs. Zak Crawley (76), Ollie Pope (57), Harry Brook (50), Joe Root (68) and Jamie Smith (70) scored half-centuries for the home team in the first innings.

James Anderson has retired from Tests as the most prolific fast bowler of all time, having taken more wickets than any other bowler in the longest format of the game. Earlier this year, he became the first pace bowler to reach 700 Test wickets, achieving the feat during the Dharamsala Test against India. Overall, he has picked up 704 wickets in 188 Tests. Only Sachin Tendulkar has played more Tests than him.