England and Lancashire County legend Jimmy Anderson has officially called time on his international career after retiring from Test cricket on Friday afternoon, and there was barely a dry eye in sight as he bid goodbye at Lord’s.
Anderson announced his retirement from England back in May and has now played his farewell game for his country, as well as claiming his final wicket with a win over the West Indies on the last day of the first Test. An era really has come to an end.
Helping thrash the Windies by innings and 114 runs, the 41-year-old Burnley-born bowler finished on 704 Test wickets in 188 matches over the course of 21 years – and it could have even been a nice round 705 had he not spilt a very simple catch.
Regardless, it was a humorous way to put a bow out following one of the most revered careers in English cricket, and today was only ever about saying goodbye as the heartwarming guard of honour he received before the game.
Admitting that he had already “come to peace” with retirement and that now is the right time to step aside and play his part as England ushers in the next generation, Jimmy has already joked that he’s looking forward to playing some more golf.
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However, thankfully, it isn’t ta-ra forever as the national team and LCCC veteran has already confirmed he will soon join the backroom staff to help develop future fast bowlers.
Anderson is also yet to confirm whether he will retire full stop and end his time at Lancashire, with head coach Dale Benkenstein stating that currently “it’s not a no” and they will simply do their best not to pressure him into making the decision either way.
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The embrace between him and long-time teammate, not to mention, best mate Stuart Broad was also one that had people in the ground and watching at home welling up.
As did this moving montage.
Congratulations on an unbelievable career and thank you for the memories. 🥹👏
With fans looking back on his truly remarkable tenure, one particular statistic we loved was shared by BBC’s Henry Moeran, who broke down that “supposing Jimmy Anderson’s run-up is about 19 yards, and he’s bowled 40,002 deliveries in Tests… that’s 760,038 yards or 430 miles”.
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As he added, by chance, this just so happens to be “the distance on foot to walk from the Utilita Bowl [in Southampton] to Chester-le-Street [Durham] via every Test venue in England.”
Fair to say he’s put in the hard yards of the best two decades.
Anderson was ultimately met with a standing ovation not only from everyone in the dressing at Lord’s but the entire cricket ground itself as he savoured his final moments in England whites.
We’re not crying, you are…
Jimmy's family and the whole of Lord's rise to applaud a true legend of the game 🥰
As the man himself has already reiterated, he feels as good bowling as he has ever done, so we’re still holding on to the hope that this isn’t the last dance altogether, and even if a dream return to England one day is off the table at this point, he can still shine for Lancs with the likes of 2024 T20 Blast ongoing.
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But for now, we bid Jimmy Anderson a heartfelt farewell and congratulate him on all of his incredible achievements playing for England – we hope he enjoys a little more downtime from here on out.
Naturally, he signed off in the best way he knew how…
See you later, legend, and we’ll cheers one to you at the pub later on.
Featured Images — England Cricket (via Instagram)/Sky Sports (via screenshot)
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Kevin De Bruyne confirms he is leaving Manchester City
Danny Jones
One of the Premier League’s best-ever players and a true Manchester City legend, Kevin De Bruyne, has confirmed he will soon be leaving the club.
Announced in a series of emotional social media posts on Friday, 4 April, the brilliant Belgian footballer will be calling time on his career at the Etihad Stadium come the end of this season.
Having spent a decade in the iconic blue of Man City, De Bruyne will undoubtedly go down as one of their all-time greats, having helped them to their first Champions League trophy during the Treble-winning year and a record four consecutive Premier League titles – of which he’s won six in total.
As you can see in the lengthy message shared on his social media, ‘King Kev’ informed City supporters that this current campaign will be his last in their colours, writing: “Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter.”
The 33-year-old, who has suffered from increasing injury problems over the last couple of years, goes on to say that “Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players we all know this day eventually come. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.”
In what is clearly a heartfelt and just as difficult a post for him to write as it is for fans to hear, he added: Football led me to all of you – and this city […] This will always be our HOME.”
Blues all over Greater Manchester and beyond will be heartbroken, but many won’t be completely shocked given his in-and-out
It’s a sad day to be a Cityzen, no doubt.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester derby, manager Pep Guardiola said: “In the Premier League, he is one of the greatest midfielders in this country and top of the Club. Great, if not the greatest.
Manchester City will bid an emotional farewell to Kevin De Bruyne this summer when his contract expires, bringing an end to a glittering 10-year period at the Club 🩵
Although his talent will never come into question, it’s no secret that he’s struggled to stay fit and be as prolific a creator in Guardiola‘s side – though this is largely in contrast to his ridiculously high levels and just how much of a talisman he has been over the past 10 years.
Starting just 19 matches this season, he’s still managed to score four goals and register seven assists, but a recurring hamstring problem has seen game time limited.
Regardless, when he’s at his best, there’s no question about it: he’s the best player in the Premier League, and the club have promised to pay fitting tributes to their generational number 17.
With 106 goals to his name in 413 appearances – the first midfielder since Colin Bell to reach over a century – across all competitions for City, not to mention 118 assists in the Premier League alone, he’s been one of the most creative and, frankly, ingenious players on the planet for more than a decade.
Whether you’re a Blue, a Red or otherwise, no one can deny the joy of watching him play football. Thanks for the memories, KdB.
Featured Images — Brad Tutterow (via Flickr)/soccer.ru (via WikiCommons) Kevin De Bruyne (via X)
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Jack Grealish dedicates first league goal in 16 months to late brother on anniversary of his death
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Jack Grealish held back the tears following his first Premier League goal in more than 16 months, but not in relief after breaking the duck, because it came on a very emotional day for him and his family.
The Man City and England midfielder opened the scoring in the Blues’ 2-0 win against Leicester City on Wednesday night, bringing an end to his goal drought after a total of 473 days.
But what made it even more special is that the game happened to coincide with the anniversary of his late brother Keelan’s death.
Speaking in his post-match interview after picking up the man of the match award, Grealish was in a noticeably quieter mood than his usual charismatic self before revealing that the day marked the 25th anniversary of his younger sibling’s death.
Jack Grealish dedicates his goal to his late brother on the 25th anniversary of his death ❤️ pic.twitter.com/u3toaqZSuR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 2, 2025
The 29-year-old went on to reveal that the date coincided with Keelan’s passing and acknowledged that it’s “hard on the family but [I’m] happy to score”.
His mum and dad, Karen and Kevin, were up in the stands; it doesn’t need explaining why scoring in that particular moment was so special for all of them.
Clearly stirred by addressing what was a bittersweet occasion, he signed off by adding, “To score and to win was brilliant.”
Keelan Daniel Grealish was just nine months old when he tragically passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) back in 2000 – ‘Super Jack’ was just four at the time.
Paying tribute on social media after the game, the comments below his post were filled with love and support.
Besides the goal itself, the former Aston Villa star was keen to reiterate that he was never brought to the club to score bags of goals and “has a lot more to offer” than just hitting the back of the net.
Touching on his Grealish’s game and the tribute to Keelan during his post-match duties, manager Pep Guardiola went on to add: “Jack is an incredible human being; in terms of gestures and for the other people, he’s incredibly generous.
“I didn’t know that [it was the anniversary of his brother’s death]. I can’t imagine how tough it could be for mum, dad, sister, and all the family. It’s good on this day to remember him, I’m pretty sure they remember every single day.”
A lovely moment from a much-loved character around the Eithad Stadium as well as up and down the country. Rest in peace, Keelan.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Three more points on the board for City and a big moment for the Brummy-born midfielder.
Danny Jones -
12th July 2024 
