I was not angry, but shocked: Anderson on forced retirement | Cricket News

Former England fast bowler Jimmy Anderson told The Guardian that he felt like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas when coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes conveyed to England’s highest wicket-taker that they were planning to move on from him. “As I walk towards them, it hits me cold. This isn’t a team appraisal, is it? I feel like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, ushered into a room under the impression that I’m going to get made, only to be shot.”
The 42-year-old says he didn’t get angry, but “felt shocked”. “I don’t think I was angry. I was just shocked. But, to be honest, I would have carried on for as long as my body let me. Maybe I needed that nudge to say now’s a good time to finish.”
But his return to the England fold as bowling coach helped him cope with life after bowling. “ If it had been completely cut out of my life I don’t think I’d have coped very well. The fact that they wanted me to stay in the group helped me. I’m still having the dressing-room environment, still seeing my mates every day, still having an impact on Test matches, but obviously in a very different way.”
He says he is learning new aspects about his personality while coaching. “I find it quite exciting that I’m getting to learn a different job and finding out more about myself and whether I’m any good at it. So it’s been pretty interesting and, as a coach, I can now see that the decision actually benefited the team because there’ve been more opportunities for bowlers to come in and do well,” he revealed.
A busy time awaits Anderson and Co. England would travel to New Zealand, before hosting India and then touring Australia for the Ashes. His primary job, he says, is to groom the young seamers. “That’s exactly what they were trying to do with the Ashes happening in a year’s time. They want to make sure they’ve got enough players with the experience to cope.”