On Friday 17th of May,
with the dismissal of New Zealand’s opening batsman Peter Fulton on the second
day of the First Test, James Anderson became only the fourth Englishman to have
taken 300 Test wickets. Needing only two more wickets before the game had
commenced to reach the landmark, Anderson wasted no time in accomplishing the
feat, with the quick dismissals of the New Zealand opening batsman. And as it
was when it arrived, produced like so many of the unplayable deliveries
Anderson has conjured up over the years: rapid pace, shaping away, taking the
edge and caught in the slips, the lad from Burnley become only the 26th
player in World cricket to achieve the milestone. Joining other England greats;
Ian Botham, Bob Willis and Fred Trueman, Anderson is amongst the company of
some of the finest bowlers to have represented his country, however some
commentators of the game refuse to acknowledge him as one of the best England
has produced, despite his impeccable record.
In reaching the milestone by
playing the exact same number of test matches as Bob Willis, but significantly
more than both Botham and Trueman, Jimmy Anderson nevertheless still deserves
his position in this select fall of fame. As a 20-year-old, with raw pace and a
youthful skip in his step, Anderson was practically drafted from second
division cricket into the national One-day side in 2003 as cover for Andy
Caddick, despite not having a number or even a name on his shirt. Possessing a
raw talent of curving the ball late in the air at 90mph plus, he was lethal on
his day, but inconsistency and injuries looked to have cut short a propitious
career.
However, recalled to the England
team on a regular basis in early 2008, Anderson confidently progressed into the
leader of a resurging and promising new bowling attack including the likes of
Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan. His spare and athletic frame has facilitated an
outstanding fitness record where in the last five years and 64 matches, since
his return to the national side, Anderson has evaded just one Test through
injury. With such an impeccable fitness record, its a wonder how Anderson has
achieved such success with his good health and strength despite consistently
appearing for England in all forms of the game and especially the incredible
workload international cricketers are now subjected to. During the last five
years, he has evolved into a peerless exponent of a cricket ball in any
condition, on any surface, home or abroad.
Described by former England Captain Michael Vaughan as, “one of the most
skilful bowlers on the planet and capable of magical moments on a cricket
pitch,” Anderson has implemented a broader repertoire of deliveries than any
other fast bowler playing the game with pinpoint accuracy.
Since 2008, through expansive
experience of different conditions and the technical proficiency and knowledge
of various bowling coaches including Allan Donald, Otis Gibson and David Saker,
he has perfected his art. Allied to his exquisite talent of swinging the ball
either way at his fingertips with no distinguishable or apparent change of
action, Anderson has also obtained a meticulous control of line and length. He
has developed into a human extension of the scientific analysis of the game,
enabling to methodically undertake bowling coach’s conscientious plans for each
batsman, enabling him to conduct a forensic examination of their technique.
Over the years, he has become effectively three bowlers in one. If you require
curve balls to left-handers from around the wicket, throw the ball to Anderson.
If it is precise out-swingers to dominant right-handers, he is your man. If it
is ferocious line and length on a flat pitch with no movement, reducing the opponents run scoring, you know you will get it from Anderson.
Since his recall five years ago,
Anderson has taken more wickets (241) in that time then anybody else in the
world. Judging from the statistics, they are not just any old wickets either.
South Africa, India and Australia have been the teams most affected by
Anderson’s brilliance with over half of his test wickets taken against them.
Any arguments that he only dominates teams at the bottom of the world rankings
are completely unjust, with only 20 wickets taken against Zimbabwe and
Bangladesh. The list of his most
persistent victims reads like a World Eleven side, featuring some of the
greatest batsman to have ever graced the sport. He has dismissed Sachin
Tendulkar more times (Nine) than any other bowler. Other batsman that
have suffered at the hands of Anderson include: Jacques Kallis, Michael Clarke
and Graeme Smith, all three who Jimmy has dismissed seven times in his career.
Sri Lankan’s Kumar Sangakkara, Indian legend Rahul Dravid and former Australian
captain Ricky Ponting are also popular scalps of Anderson. He has become a
fearless pacer bowler, regularly striking gold and proving what you can achieve
if you are as gifted as him in swinging the ball with forceful pace.
Despite his sensational record of
the last five years, his wicket-taking average is still above 30, (30.14) which doesn't fully convey his unique bowling abilities. Compared to other England
greats; Botham -28.40, Willis- 25.20 and Trueman-21.57, his average is higher
than the past masters, but considering a dawdling start to his playing career,
the fact that pitches do not deteriorate as quickly as they used to and not
forgetting the improvement on tail-end batting, Anderson can reflect on a
remarkable achievement of reaching 300 test wickets. Of those still playing
Test cricket, only three bowlers: Harbhajan Singh (413), Daniel Vettori (360)
and Dale Steyn (332) have accumulated more wickets than Anderson.
