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)
Sport
Ex-England stars Jill Scott and Gary Lineker receive 2025 Legends of Football Awards
Danny Jones
Former England stars Jill Scott and Gary Lineker have been selected as the recipients of this year’s Legend of Football Awards.
The retired footballers turned pundits and presenters have 241 international caps and a combined 34 years of senior playing days between them, not to mention countless appearances at club level throughout their respective careers.
Confirmed on Thursday, 30 January, the pair joined the ranks of Pele, Wayne Rooney, the late Dennis Law; David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson, BBC colleague Alan Shearer and several other iconic names to have been chosen in the past.
The MBE and OBE duo will receive their awards at a special ceremony at the JW Marriot Grosvenor House in London this Fall.
Our annual charity fundraising night is hosted in aid of @nordoffrobbins – it has raised a staggering £8.5 million to date.
The Legends of Football Awards ceremony has been every year since it was founded back in 1996, with some of the biggest characters in English, European and world football having received the recognition over the years.
On the announcement of her award, Manchester City and Lionesses legend Jill Scott said: “I am absolutely thrilled to receive the 2025 Legends of Football award.
“It’s truly an honour to follow in the footsteps of my former international teammates, Fara Williams and Ellen White, who have also been recognised in recent years.
“The incredible work Nordoff and Robbins do cannot be overstated”, says the Women’s Euro 2022 winner. “Seeing the charity’s incredible impact through its use of music therapy to transform the lives of people with life-limiting conditions has been inspiring.
“I’m really looking forward to the evening and excited to raise money for Nordoff and Robbins.”
As for ex-Spurs, Everton, Leicester and Barcelona star, Lineker, the 64-year-old added: “This acknowledgement is an honour and would not be possible without the support of my former managers and teammates.
“I’m thrilled to be part of an incredible evening that celebrates football and music, all in support of Nordoff and Robbins. Their work is vital in transforming lives through the power of music. Music therapy offers an extraordinary means of helping individuals express themselves and connect with others.”
Described by Sir Alex Ferguson as “the best night in the football social calendar”, the Legends of Football event is an annual charity fundraising night, supported by the Premier League, in aid of music therapy charity, Nordoff and Robbins.
Also the hosts and lead sponsor of the Northern Music Awards, the organisation champions music therapy charity that uses music as a key tool for those diagnosed with disabilities, living with illness or dealing with trauma, aiding expression and communication with others.
Up to now, the annual event has raised over a staggering £8.5 million to date since John Charles CBE was made the first recipient in its inaugural year. Incredible stuff.
Manchester Originals fixtures confirmed for The Hundred 2025
Danny Jones
The fixtures for The Hundred 2025 have officially been revealed and we now have confirmation as to when we can expect to see our Manchester Originalsgetting underway.
One of the fastest-growing competitions not only in cricket but sport, in general, this is just the fifth year of The Hundred but it’s promising to be the biggest and most ambitious yet.
Moving back to its traditional summer slot – set to take place throughout the month of August – well over half a million fans are expected to enjoy the action up and down the country.
You can find the full list of Manchester Originals‘ fixtures for this year’s Hundred schedule here:
Getting underway against the 2023 women’s champions Southern Brave on Wednesday, 6 August at home, their second round of matches will come against the victors of last year’s men’s tournament, Oval Invincibles, the following weekend (Sat, 9 August).
The Originals will then return to their home ground at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground to take on the reigning female champs, London Spirit, so it’s safe to say they’ve got quite the challenging start.
The women’s team will be led by new Head Coach Michael Klinger who brings a wealth of experience and an impressive record in franchise cricket around the world, while the lads will see fellow Aussie Simon Katich stay in post for a fourth season.
With the latter leading his side to consecutive finals in 2022 and ’23, he’ll be hoping he can go one further and finally win Manchester Originals’ first title.
This season direct signings have been permitted in The Hundred for the first time ever, meaning teams can sign one new overseas player by deadline day on 24 February; the women’s team became the first squad to exercise this perk, picking up the 2024 ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, Amelia Kerr.
As one of the best all-rounders in the world and having just won the T20 World Cup, getting the New Zealand leg-spinner is a huge coup for Manchester.
England Captain Jos Buttler also returns for The Hundred this year, telling Lancashire Cricket Club: “I was gutted to miss last year’s Hundred campaign, so I’m really excited at the prospect of joining up with Manchester Originals again this summer.”
2024 alone saw a global women’s cricket attendance record shattered and with the double-header fixtures set to return, more history beckons for the tournament.
If you’ve never been along to The Hundred before, game days feature plenty of pre-match pageantry and fanfare before the women’s teams get the toss first.
Although there’s music, food and drink to be enjoyed throughout the day, one of the best parts about a day at The Hundred is the entertainment, with other games, activities, competitions and live performances before, during and after the break.
It’s going to be a great year for the Originals, we can feel it – you can grab your tickets on pre-sale/via general admission when they go live HERE.
Danny Jones -
12th July 2024 
