Former England pacer James Anderson has turned 43 years today, July 30. While it has been a year since he retired, there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest fast bowlers to ever play the sport, and that gives every cricket fan more than one reason to celebrate him for a career spanning over two decades.
Being a fast bowler is not everyone`s cup of tea, as it includes the involvement of your hips, lower back, shoulder and wrist. The history of fast bowlers in cricket is proof of the toll a pacer`s body takes while producing a speed close to 138 or 140 kmph, and James Anderson did that for 22 years.
Debuting in 2003, the pacer has almost bowled to three generations of cricket, right from Sachin Tendulkar`s era to Shubman Gill`s rising dominance phase. Having represented the `Three Lions` in 188 Test matches, Anderson concluded his career with 704 wickets, which is the highest by any bowler for the English side.
He is also the third-highest wicket-taker in the all-time list with former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and late Australia spinner Shane Warne (708) taking the top two positions.
Anderson also enjoys the top spot on the list of English players with the most wickets in One-Day Internationals. In 194 matches, he has bagged 269 wickets in the 50-over format.
Apart from his wicket tally, he is placed second on the list of players to play the most number of Test matches (188). The former pacer is also the third-fastest player to complete 700 Test wickets. He just took 187 matches to reach the feat.
Swinging the ball in both directions till the day he drew curtains on his international career, Anderson defied age for a pacer. At a time when the pacers of current generations are receiving breaks in the name of workload management, the Englishman had rarely sustained any injury in his career. Over the years, he has been a trouble-maker for several teams` veterans and newcomers.
Bowling against the likes of bigwigs such as Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid needs patience and skills, which Anderson showcased with grit during his playing days.
He registered 31 five-wicket hauls in the traditional format of the game, and two fifers in ODIs. He also has three 10-wicket hauls in Test cricket – showcasing an illustrious career.
