England legend James Anderson makes crucial statement about his retirement

England pacer James Anderson has opened up on his retirement plans, saying he would like to bow out of the game on a "nice note."

One of the greatest seamers in the history of Test cricket, Anderson is set to turn 41 next month and ahead of The Ashes, the fast bowler is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Ever since he turned 40, Anderson has picked up 28 wickets in Tests at an average of just 17.21, having been re-energised by England's new positive and aggressive approach that the team has adopted under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

James Anderson: I don't want to drag it out

With 685 wickets, Anderson is not only England's leading wicket-taker in Tests but also has the most wickets among pacers in Tests. Overall, the Lancashire-born bowler is third in the list of most Test wickets after Sri Lanka's Muthai Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

Ahead of the upcoming five-match series against Australia, Anderson has admitted that he does not want to "drag it out" before adding he wants to call it quits the same way as England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, who walked away from international cricket last year.

"I don't want to drag it out and people are thinking: 'Can you just do one'. I would like to be able to go out on a nice note. Morgs last year woke up and just knew it was time to call it a day. I am just hoping that is the case.

"I feel privileged to have got in a position where I can make a decision because as a bowler it is usually taken out of your hands with injury or selection. It will be nice to go out on my own terms but when that will be you just have to wait and see," Anderson told The Telegraph when asked about his future.

The Ashes is scheduled to get underway on June 16 at Edgbaston, Birmingham, with the remaining four Tests to be played at Lord's, London, Headingley, Leeds, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, and Kennington Oval, London.

After the conclusion of The Ashes, England are not going to be playing Test cricket for six months. Their next series won't be until January, when they travel to India for a five-match series. The six-month break before the big series in India should allow Anderson to recharge, while also getting some game time while representing his county, Lancashire.

Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that Anderson was struggling with an injury ahead of The Ashes. He had pulled up with a groin problem during a County Championship game for Lancashire against Somerset last month.

Subsequently, Anderson missed England's opening game of the summer, which was a one-off Test against Ireland. However, the 40-year-old fast bowler is confident he has fully recovered from the injury and will face no issues during England's upcoming series against Australia.

Is James Anderson fully fit?

When Australia toured England last time in 2019 for The Ashes, Anderson bowled just four overs before suffering a recurrence of a calf injury that ruled him out of the entire series.

"I felt I had let the guys down. Unfortunately, it can happen. This time the injury is not as serious. I have had more time to rest it, recover and build it up. I will have to be honest about how I am feeling," added Anderson, who is set to compete in his career's 10th Ashes campaign.

England are aiming to retain the Urn for the first time since 2015 and will be desperate to have their most experienced pacer fit for all five Tests. Meanwhile, Australia will head into the series with charged-up confidence, courtesy of their maiden World Test Championship (WTC) title. They thrashed previous runners-up India by 209 runs last week in London.