Jimmy Anderson opens up on retirement, Andrew Flintoff coaching England and explains how Ben Stokes’ side can win the Ashes next winter – as he provides an update on his future

It’s a moment that perfectly encapsulates how much Jimmy Anderson is held in high regard by the English cricket public.

Less than an hour after Anderson reached the end of an incredible career that saw him become the first seam bowler to pass 700 wickets in Test cricket after the first Test of the summer against the West Indies, he walked out onto the Lord’s Balcony.

There, Anderson was greeted by thousands of fans spread out across the outfield, ready to pay their respects.

It was a scene befitting a royal coronation – and perhaps this was the coronation of England’s greatest ever bowler – and after some encouragement Anderson quickly drained the pint of Guinness he held to great applause before returning to the dressing room in the same relaxed manner in which he had taken endless wickets over the previous 21 years.

“I wasn’t going to have a pint on the balcony,” Anderson joked to Mail Sport. “But I just wanted to get out there and see what the outfield looked like, it was incredible.

‘I didn’t really know what to expect that week, but when I saw the size of the crowd and the reactions I got as I walked through the long room, I was amazed and excited about how that test went.

“It was a truly fantastic few days and a special event, especially as my family and friends were there.”

Anderson has served in a coaching and mentoring role for England’s bowlers during the last two Test matches against the West Indies, a role he will continue to fulfil for the upcoming series in Sri Lanka.

In his role, Anderson oversees a hugely interesting group of fast English players. While Gus Atkinson stole the headlines with an exceptional debut series, he is just the latest in a group of talent that also includes the likes of Matt Potts, Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue.

There is also hope that Jofra Archer and Olly Stone can shake off their recent injuries and return to the Test arena.

For Anderson it was a little different, but he enjoyed the challenge. “I really enjoyed being still with the group,” he says.

‘I found the transition quite easy because I’d probably been doing it for the last 10 years as a senior bowler in the team and helping the other guys by leading the attack on the field and also trying to help new guys settle in.

‘It’s always nice to win Test matches and I still get a lot of satisfaction from being part of them.’

Anderson is speaking to Mail Sport as part of the ECB’s campaign to promote both schools and amateur cricket, particularly after the previous Conservative government pledged a £35m investment in the ground in April.

The English icon learned his trade at Burnley Cricket Club, where he eventually became one of the best bowlers in the world. And Anderson supports the cause with full conviction.

‘Because of where I come from, I was lucky to be exposed to cricket at all,’ he explains. ‘My school didn’t have the facilities or equipment to play, so I was lucky that my dad played for the local club.

‘Cricket has had such a huge impact on my life and me as a person, I think it’s great that more kids are getting the chance to play it. It’s just a great sport to be involved in.’

As ever in English cricket, talk now turns to the Ashes, even though there are still more than 15 months to go. Yet Anderson is optimistic about the task ahead.

“I definitely think we have a good chance,” he adds. “There’s enough depth on the bowling front and the most important thing is to cover as many bases as possible.

Shoaib Bashir has been brilliant as a spinner and Jack Leach, who was unfortunately unable to join us this summer, has a lot of experience as a second spinner.

“And then the sailors, it’s trying to find a balance between pace and skill. You still need to have good skills when you go somewhere like Australia.

‘Last time we saw that the pitches were quite seamer-friendly and moved a bit. So you have to be consistent with your lines and lengths, and also bowl fast. It feels like there’s a really nice balance and a bit of everything.’

Anderson was part of England’s memorable 3-1 victory in Australia in 2010-11. It is the country’s only Ashes victory in Australia since 1986.

Back then, the 42-year-old dominated the series by topping the wicket-taking chart with 24 dismissals in a period that is one of the best of this century for England fans.

But what was the key 13 years ago and does Anderson see similarities with Ben Stokes’ team?

“I think we were lucky that most of the team had already played a lot of Test cricket,” he explains.

‘Also, we were all in top form at the right time and a lot of the guys probably played their best run of their careers, like Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.

‘On the bowling front we just had a good group that suited the conditions perfectly, with Graham Swann being the top player.

‘Everything seemed to click at the right time and I think that’s the most important thing.

‘There is still plenty of Test cricket to be played before then, with a big series against India next summer. If we do well there, it will be a good start for the Ashes.’

In making the switch to coaching the England national team, Anderson has joined forces with a number of his former England team-mates to share his knowledge of the game. One in particular, Andrew Flintoff, has been in the spotlight recently.

After recovering from a potentially fatal car crash while filming Top Gear in 2022, Flintoff has made a heart-warming return to the sport where he made his name over the past year working with a number of English teams, with the former all-rounder widely praised for the impact he has had.

The next step came this summer when Flintoff took charge of the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, leading many to see him as Matthew Mott’s replacement as England’s white-ball coach.

“I think he would definitely be a good fit,” Anderson explained. “I don’t know if this is the right time for him because coaching is something he’s still quite new to.

‘He’s only just started as head coach but I’m sure it will be on the agenda for both him and England in the future.’

Anderson’s focus is now on the upcoming Sri Lanka series, but the 42-year-old has also done a lot of media work in recent years. He showed he still has what it takes for Lancashire, taking match figures of 8-64 in his only game for the Red Rose this season. A surprise return to white-ball franchise cricket could even follow.

But what’s the plan for Anderson? “I’m keeping my options pretty open at this point,” he adds.

‘I’m going to sit out the summer with England and then see what happens next. There’s time to think about what I want to do, whether that’s playing for Lancashire or somewhere else (including franchise cricket), or the media and things like that.

‘So yeah, I don’t really know what I want to do yet. I was quite happy to see Andy Murray when he retired from the Olympics and said he had no idea what he was going to do next.

“It’s nice to hear that someone else isn’t sure, because it can be hard. And it’s hard to make the transition to something else when you’ve been doing one thing for most of your life.

‘I don’t really realize yet that I’m retired, so I’m going to take my time and not rush into things.’

Jimmy Anderson spoke as part of the ECB’s latest campaign to help more people find their way into playing cricket, whether that’s at home, at school or in the community. More information about the campaign and local opportunities to play cricket can be found at www.ecb.co.uk/play.