James Anderson opens up as Test retirement nears

England pacer James Anderson opened up on his retirement from Test cricket saying that in his head, he still feels he can play for 10 more years.

The English great will hang his boots after the first Test against West Indies which will be played at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground from July 10.

Anderson, 41, is widely considered England’s greatest pacer as he is the only fast bowler to take 700 wickets in Test cricket and the pacer will retire before turning 42. He revealed in a podcast that he feels like he can play for 10 more years but that is not realistic as he is aware.

"In my head, I feel like I could play for 10 years. Obviously, I realise that is not realistic. Some days I wake up and wish I was not retiring. Ninety per cent of the time I’m happy with it. Not many people in sports get the chance to retire over the age of 40. I'm happy I've made it this far," Anderson said on The Tailenders podcast.

Despite always maintaining that he can keep going, the Englishman revealed that there were times when he contemplated retiring from the game.

"There's been two or three moments on the field, if the opposition are 500-3, I'll be thinking, 'do I really want to still be doing this? They are fleeting thoughts - nothing that has stuck with me for more than an over," Anderson said.

"I don't know how much of that was me, and how much it was the external noise that comes with ageing. For the last six years, or even longer, it's been, 'how long can you go on for? That in itself, certainly for the last couple of years, has been quite draining.”

Anderson represented England in 187 official Test matches where he bagged 700 wickets. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is at the top of the all-time chart with 800 wickets from 133 Tests, followed by Australia spin legend Shane Warne (708).