Anderson future in doubt after McCullum talks

England coach Brendon McCullum has held talks with leading wicket-taker James Anderson about the veteran bowler's future.

McCullum told Anderson, who turns 42 in July, that England are looking to build a bowling attack for the future.

It is not clear whether Anderson has played his last Test or if he will get a farewell this summer.

Anderson has taken 700 wickets in 187 Tests - the most by any pace bowler in Test history.

He played four of England’s five Tests in India last winter, taking 10 wickets.

England do not play a Test until July when they begin a three-match series against West Indies. That is followed by another three Tests against Sri Lanka in August and September.

The Sri Lanka series begins at Emirates Old Trafford, Anderson’s home ground.

As first reported in the Guardian, external, McCullum and Anderson discussed the bowler’s future over a round of golf.

Anderson made his Test debut in 2003 and his 187 caps are also an England record.

He is second on the all-time list of Test appearances behind only Sachin Tendulkar, who played 200 times in the longest format for India.

The Lancastrian also played 194 one-day internationals and 19 T20s for England but has focused solely on Test cricket since 2015 and has become a great of the game.

In 2018, he passed Australia quick Glenn McGrath to become the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers.

His 700th wicket came in the fifth Test against India in Dharamshala in March after which he said he was "not getting any worse" and wanted to earn his place in England's side in the summer.

After this summer England play Test series in New Zealand and Pakistan before a home series against India in 2025 and an Ashes in Australia the following winter.

Anderson struggled during the 2023 Ashes in England, taking only five wickets in four matches.

His long-time bowling partner Stuart Broad, England's second most successful bowler, retired after the dramatic finale of that series.

It speaks volumes about Anderson's supreme skill, fitness and desire that this news comes as something of a surprise.

Anderson's future as a Test cricketer has been the subject of debate for years, but England have finally grabbed the nettle. The decision has been made for him.

Ben Stokes and McCullum have often been accused of being too soft, of creating a team harder to get into than out of, of not making changes when they should have done.

Those who made those claims forgot that the coach and captain are winners at heart, and England have not been winning.

The big prize, and conclusion of the Stokes-McCullum era, will be the Ashes in Australia. England have decided that moving on from Anderson will help win back the urn.