Anderson: I don't know if I would have taken England captaincy

James Anderson is unsure as to whether he would have welcomed an approach to become the next captain of England.
James Anderson (centre) with Karl Brown (left) and Stven Croft (right), during the photocall at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester.James Anderson (centre) with Karl Brown (left) and Stven Croft (right), during the photocall at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester.
James Anderson (centre) with Karl Brown (left) and Stven Croft (right), during the photocall at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester.

The 34-year-old fast bowler was arguably among a handful of names who could have been a potential replacement for Alistair Cook, who resigned in February.

In the end the job was handed to the much younger Joe Root after the ECB also held discussions with Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes.

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Anderson, who is England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker with 467 victims, revealed he was not interviewed for the job.

And asked whether he would have liked to have been given the captaincy, Anderson said: "I don't know.It would have been nice to have been considered for it, but whether I would have taken it or not, I am not sure.

"From a personal point of view I would have seriously thought about it, but from the outside looking in, I would 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 am going to keep going for.

"In the grand scheme of things, it makes sense for a younger guy to have a go."