James Anderson would've 'seriously' considered Test captaincy if offered

England pace spearhead James Anderson, who is one of the senior members of the national team, has admitted he was a bit disappointed after he was overlooked for the role of Test captain following Alastair Cook's decision to step down from the post.

Cook had earlier this year stepped down as England's Test captain after a record 59 matches in charge. His tour of the subcontinent, which included a maiden Test defeat against Bangladesh, culminated with a 0-4 loss in the five-Test series against India.

Joe Root was appointed as his replacement, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) almost immediately announcing the decision.

 

"I don't know if I'd have taken the captaincy but it would have been nice to have been considered for it," ESPNcricinfo quoted Anderson as saying.

"From a personal point of view I'd have seriously thought about it, but from the outside looking in I'd have thought: is this actually where the team needs to go - with a 34-year-old as captain?"

"I don't know how long I'm going to keep going for and in the grand scheme of things it makes sense for a younger guy to do it," he added.

Anderson, who is a veteran of 122 Tests and England's all-time leading wicket-taker, pointed out that most of the fast bowling captains he had known have been pretty successful and was thus surprised why more fast bowlers aren't given the opportunity to do it.

"I'm all for bowlers being captains," he said.

Anderson's arguments can be backed up seeing the examples of Shaun Pollock, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis who have successfully led their sides in all the formats of the game.

The 34-year-old will play for Lancashire in the County Championship, in a bid to get match fit after sustaining a shoulder injury during England's tour of India last year.

"My sole goal for this season is to be fit as possible and stay on the field," he insisted.

"I've had a frustrating 12 to 18 months with injury and I want to play as many games as I can. If I can play all the Test matches this summer then hopefully I hope I won't be far away," he added.