Anderson: "Why does 37 have to be towards the end? People say I'm not going to be playing when I'm 45, probably not, but I've seen bowlers go into their 40s, so it's not impossible"
Tuesday 11 February 2020 12:59, UK
Sir Alastair Cook and James Anderson joined Sky Sports Cricket to discuss the pressures that come with playing international cricket, Anderson's England future and how he might have to be managed going forward, while they also reflect on the highs and lows of their respective ODI careers...
Despite being 37 years old, having already played 151 Test matches and taking an England-record 584 Test wickets, Anderson told Sky Sports, "I genuinely don't know if I've peaked yet as a bowler".
While he is determined to continue playing for England for as long as possible, his long-time team-mate, captain and friend, Cook - who retired as England's leading Test run-scorer of all time 18 months ago - insists the time was right for him to step away from international cricket.
Click on the video above to watch some of Anderson and Cook's chat with Nick Knight in the Sky Sports studio, or listen in full via the player below or by downloading the podcast here.
"My career was a bit of a grind," said Cook. "That was my style - I didn't often get off to a flier - so I had to work incredibly hard just to score any runs.
"On the field, off the field, the captaincy; it just took its toll. It wasn't the so-called 'pressure', it was just a constant thing that built over a number of years.
"I was listening to Moeen [Ali]'s interview the other day, saying that he found that tough. He's had a break and now come back.
"There was a headline last time I was here, 'I lost that fire' and I did. For me, I just lost that little bit of an edge which made me the player I was."
Anderson, meanwhile, despite his advancing age and having broken a rib in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town that ruled him out of the rest of the series, is keen to carry on, believing his best might still be yet to come.
"I'm still enjoying the challenge," insisted Anderson. "I might be grumpy on the outside but inside I'm really enjoying it.
"I've been really lucky with injuries throughout my career. I probably had more in my 20s than I've had in my 30s, and I feel like my game has got better since I turned 30.
"There's always going to be that element of 'oh, he's 37', because there's a stigma around sportsmen getting to a certain age and thinking it's about time they moved on.
"For me, I genuinely don't know if I've peaked yet as a bowler. I'm getting better when I've got the ball in my hand.
"I'm working hard in practice to try and get the best out of myself, I'm still learning all the time, I'm working harder in the gym as I get older.
"So, in my head, why does 37 have to be towards the end? People say I'm not going to be playing when I'm 45, probably not, but I've seen bowlers go into their 40s, so it's not impossible.
"I still think like a youngster. While I still feel fit, I want to carry on."
Also on the podcast, Anderson and Cook also looked back on their ODI careers with England, discussing:
Watch the first T20 international between South Africa and England, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 3.30pm on Wednesday.
