Veteran English speedster James Anderson couldn’t hold his tears when he was asked to talk about his teammate and ‘best friend’ Alastair Cook who took the field for the last time in his carrier on Tuesday.
After the hosts beat India by 118 runs to win the series 4-1, Anderson broke down to tears while speaking about the series and the contribution of Cook. With a heavy throat, he said, “Happy that Cooky was on the field to see that wicket, it's been a tough week. When they were building the partnership it was looking like they would get close, my job was just to hold an end.”
“Thankfully we took the new ball and gave me a chance to get the wicket. Cook has been brilliant, just being there all the time,” he said.
When asked if he would miss Cook in the dressing room, he said, “Yeah, absolutely. He’s my best mate and he’s been brilliant. He's been always there for me all the time.”
Amid Cook’s farewell, James Anderson went past Glenn McGrath to become the greatest fast bowler of the world in Test cricket. The veteran English speedster took the last Indian wicket to make surpass McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets.
With 564 wickets in his kitty, Anderson is the highest wicket-taking fast bowler in Test cricket and fourth overall in the world.