London, Jul 12 (IANS): One of England cricket’s most loyal servants has retired from international cricket. In an incredible career that spanned over 21 years, Jimmy Anderson gained a reputation as the ‘king of swing.’ The King’s tenure as one of the best fast bowlers in cricket history came to an emotional end on Friday when England defeated West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in what was the 41-year-old's final game with the national side.

“Dear Jimmy, on behalf of England Cricket. 21 years is hard to sum up. You were there at our greatest and there at our lowest. So it’s time to thank you for your skill, for your spirit, for your genius, for your guts, for your resilience, for your records, for your feats, for your friendship, for leaving everything out there time and time again. And in that now and forever you are England cricket,” said former captain Nasser Hussain in an emotional video posted by England Cricket on X.

The glorious career began in 2003 when a 20-year-old Jimmy made his debut against Zimbabwe. He went on to become the first fast bowler to take 700 (704) Test wickets.

On what was supposed to be Anderson’s farewell game, the spotlight spilt upon debutant Gus Atkinson, who was phenomenal with the ball in both innings, taking 12 wickets across both innings. Gus and captain Ben Stokes shared their thoughts on the legends’ departure.

“An incredible inspiration for so many people. A lot of young people have looked up to him and wanted to emulate his career which is going to be very hard to do...very lucky to keep him in the dressing room. To have someone like Jimmy speaking to them and offloading his learnings is great for us going forward. Sometimes you can be a bit lost for words,” said Ben Stokes in the post-game interview.

“It's been an incredible week. I just want to say thanks to Jimmy. Playing here in his last Test has been incredible, and to do so well has been incredible [too]. Growing up, Jimmy was someone I'd come here to Lord's to watch. I was at mid-off looking over at Jimmy running in thinking, 'I've seen this so many times on the TV'. It was amazing,” added debutant and player of the match Gus Atkinson.