"No chance of a 43-year-old opening the bowling" - Michael Atherton not surprised by James Anderson's retirement ahead of Ashes

Former England opener Michael Atherton is not surprised to see James Anderson announcing retirement after the first Test of the summer. The former captain reckons England can't ill afford to play a 43-year-old as a new-ball bowler in the Ashes.

Anderson, 41, officially confirmed on Saturday that he will retire after the opening Test of the summer against the West Indies. The Lancashire seamer will have played a staggering 188 Tests and will have an opportunity to surpass Shane Warne in the wicket-taking list.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Atherton said the messaging has been clear from Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum that they are looking to the future. Hence, it's not a surprise, to keep the 2025 Ashes series in mind.

"The Ashes are two winters away. There's absolutely no chance of a 43-year-old opening the bowling for England in The Ashes. I know that McCullum and Ben Stokes have always talked about living for the moment, living for now, but they also talk about planning for the future."

"Everything we've heard coming out of the England camp at the start of the year has been about pace, strike-rates, cutting edge in preparation for The Ashes and all the young bowlers that England have contracted have been of that type, so it's not that much of a surprise," he added.

Michael Anderson notably scaled the 700th wicket mark in the fifth Test against India in Dharamsala. He will need nine scalps in his final Test to surpass Shane Warne in the list of most wickets in the format.

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"Not particularly a big one for sentiment in terms of selection" - Michael Atherton

Michael Atherton. (Image Credits: Getty)

Addressing James Anderson's farewell Test, Michael Atherton suggested that he deserves one, given how consistent he has been since debuting in 2003. He added:

"I'm not particularly a big one for sentiment in terms of selection, but looking at what we've seen over the last two years, his average and strike-rate is pretty much where it's been throughout his career. Although the numbers weren't great in India, just in terms of the performance, it would be hard to argue that he's still not amongst the best swing and seam bowlers that England have."

England will host the West Indies and Sri Lanka in the summer for red-ball matches.