‘Play him in England and make him bowling coach for away tours’: Shane Warne on how to get the best out of James Anderson

Warne feels Anderson should be an automatic pick when the team plays at home but reckons every time England tour overseas, the fast bowler could travel with the team as a bowling coach.

At 38, James Anderson may not have a lot of Test matches left in him, but former Australia leg-spinner has suggested a way England can get the best out of the fast bowler and extend his career by a couple of years. Due to his wonderful record in England, Warne feels Anderson should be an automatic pick when the team plays at home, but reckons every time England tour overseas, the fast bowler could travel with the team as a bowling coach.

James Anderson holds the record for the most number of wickets by a fast bowler in Tests. (Getty Images)

“Watching Jimmy [James Anderson], he’s a class act. I’m interested to see how things pan out now he’s 38,” Shane Warne told Sky Sports. “You want Jimmy to play as long as he possibly can, so is there a way he could be bowling coach away from home? Then, in England, you say ‘we want you to play for another three or four years. If you’re picking your side here [in England], Anderson is your first pencilled in. Is he your first pencilled in overseas? I’m not sure.”

Earlier this month, rumours were rife that Anderson might be closer to retirement than many assume. But the England quick quashed those rumours by saying it’s not happening ‘anytime soon.’ Earlier this year, Anderson had said he was looking forward to playing the 2021 Ashes in Australia, expressing his eagerness to partner Stuart Broad. Injuries may have slowed him down a bit but Anderson has stuck to his promise and is keen to tour Australia next year, which promises to be a challenging assignment.

As far as the timing of a retirement is considered, Warne feels the best time to go out is when a player is at the top of his game than become a pale shadow of himself. It was in December of 2006 that Warne announced retirement after serving his country for 15 years. He retired with 708 wickets, which makes him the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests behind Muttiah Muralitharan.

“That’s the best thing - to go out on top, when people think you can still play for longer. Because then they miss what you brought to the table, miss watching you play. If you play too long, people start saying, ‘he should retire, he’s not at his best’,” Warne said.