‌McCullum was non-committal at the end of that tour, too.

‌“I don’t know, honestly,” he said, when asked then about Anderson. “Who knows where the end line for him is but for now, just enjoy having Jimmy around and make sure we utilise that experience he’s got. He’s a great resource for the other guys within the unit.”

‌This England regime have tended not to look too far ahead, preferring to take each match as it comes. But they are looking to the future this summer, as they try to “refine” their gallivanting Bazball style of play at what is likely to be the halfway stage of the Stokes-McCullum premiership. Anderson was always unlikely to make it to Australia for a sixth Ashes tour next winter, and England are desperate to build a battery of fast bowlers for that trip.

‌While Anderson was handed just a one-year deal on reduced terms last winter, the likes of Gus Atkinson, Matt Potts, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue were given multi-year deals. England will hope that Ollie Robinson is through a slump in focus and can lead the attack in a post-Anderson world, but they also have the extreme skill of Chris Woakes at home, as well as the pacey but fragile duo of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer.

‌England have a number of appetising fixtures if Anderson chooses to bow out at a specific Test this summer. Across six Tests against West Indies and Sri Lanka, they play twice at Lord’s, where he has more wickets than any other bowler, at Trent Bridge, his favourite venue, and Old Trafford, his home ground, where he has never taken a Test five-wicket haul. The final Test of the summer is at the Kia Oval, where Broad retired last summer got a fairy-tale finish to his career at the end of the Ashes.

‌Anderson and Broad, four years his junior, were an extraordinary partnership across 15 years that coincided with some unforgettable highs in English Test history, such as the Ashes win down under in 2010/11, the ascent to the top of the rankings later that year, and the win in India in 2012. Anderson was at the heart of all of them.

‌Anderson is yet to play this season, but had planned to turn out for Lancashire in the County Championship in May or June to gear up for the start of the Test summer on July 10. He has previously stated that he would like to continue playing for Lancashire or even his club Burnley when his Test career concludes.