James Anderson and Stuart Broad both have their eyes on one more Ashes series in Australia before considering retirement. The star duo has shared the new ball for England for over a decade and is leading wicket-taker in the Test for the country’s list of all-time.
In July, Anderson will turn 38 and has had injury problems to deal with over the last one year, while Broad is four years younger but feels his career will not last as long as his fellow swing bowler.
However, both aspire to keep their place in the England squad long enough to try and win the Ashes back in Australia next season.
Anderson asked Broad about his retirement plans during the Instagram Live Q&A, and Broad said: “I don’t think I could go until your age. Your action is so smooth, and it looks a lot calmer on your body, whereas mine is a little more forceful through my body, I think.
“I’d never want to get to that place where I’m bowling against a 19-year-old, and they’re going, ‘I thought someone said he used to be a good bowler.’ I’d hate that. I’d prefer to go that bit earlier than that little bit later.
“But I love the environment at the minute. I love playing for England.
“I still have a huge motivation to keep playing, and you just assess that year by year. And we’ve got that carrot dangling over us of Australia in Australia, which looks like an achievable carrot to grab.”
Anderson did agree with Broad’s Australia remark and said: “The big thing is standards. If your standards feel like they’re dropping, then yeah, you may consider finishing.”
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“But as long as my standards stay high, my fitness levels stay good, and my skills stay where I want them to be, and my speed stays pretty good, which they have been.”
“We have got an exciting team and a few young guys who are just starting on their journey, we have got some more established guys, and we have got two guys who have been around a long time.
“I think it’s nice to be a part of that team where you feel you can, in fact, achieve something and go on and have success. As long as you’ve got that drive, then why not carry on?”
