Hobart, Jan 14 (IANS): Former South Africa pacer Allan Donald insists that James Anderson and Stuart Broad have still got it in them to turn out for England in Test cricket.
He added that the veteran pair has earned the right to decide when they want to retire from international cricket. Donald's comments come after former England captain Michael Vaughan suggested that Anderson was the elephant in the room of the Test side.
"If you saw Anderson in Melbourne, when conditions suited him big time, he was still a threat. There's no one that makes the ball dance around like him when there's something in the pitch. He's still a world-class bowler and I am simply astonished by the number of Test matches that both he and Broad have played," Donald was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.
Asked on their future after the Ashes, Donald offered his take. "Those guys have the right to say when it's time to go but inevitably, when a team has taken a hiding like England have, the guns come out the holsters. In my eyes, their time is not yet up, and they can still help the younger guys coming through.
"It's so rare for fast bowlers to play 100 Test matches, let alone 150, so great credit to those two for leading from the front for such a period of time. They look so bloody fresh too. I don't know how they do it. Their longevity has been incredible, as has their consistency. You must doff your cap to that. They've been sublime. Superstars."
Taking example from his own career, Donald admitted he continued playing too long at the international level in 2001/02.
"If I have one regret, it was when I tried to play six more Test matches against Australia. At that stage, I was gutless, and my pace had dropped. To know you are not as effective as you once were is not a nice feeling at all. I knew inside me it was a bridge too far. I had lost that sting and I was up against the likes of Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting. Wow!"
Donald, who took 330 wickets in 72 Tests and 272 wickets in 164 ODIs for South Africa, also expressed surprise over the manner in which England lost the 2021/22 Ashes in Australia.
"In their backyard, the Australians are notoriously tough to beat but I honestly didn't think England would be defeated this easily. It has been down to a lack of runs from the England top order and the pressure those tall Australian seamers have exerted over them."