Anderson reclaims his rightful place

Visakhapatnam: At an age when most cricketers hang up their boots or opt to play franchise cricket which is considerably easier on their battered bodies and minds, the 41-year-old James Anderson is still toiling hard in the gruelling world of Test cricket. 

The insatiable Lancashire pacer, who lost his place to Mark Wood in the opening game in Hyderabad as England captain Ben Stokes went for brute pace rather than experience and superior skill, will don his 184th Test cap when he takes the field for the second game here at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Stadium on Friday. 

Apart from the astonishing 690 Test wickets Anderson has taken — most by a fast bowler with only former spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and late great Shane Warne (708) ahead of him — he will be featuring in England’s Test flannels for a mind-boggling 22nd successive season, after having made his debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s way back in May 2023. Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, two of England’s spinners who will play alongside Anderson here, weren’t even born when the pacer played the Zimbabwe Test.

What has made Anderson, nicknamed Sultan of Swing, so incredibly long-lasting is his workmanlike attitude. Despite missing out to Wood in the opening Test, he had no hesitation in donning the reserves’ bib and carrying out drinks to his batters or bowlers, some of whom are just cutting their teeth in international cricket. And during the innings breaks, he showed the ever-burning fire and passion by training on the practice pitches, barely letting his body stay in idle. He even attempted spin and got the ball to turn and bounce a fair bit, almost signalling to Stokes that he can even be picked as a tweaker! Of course, that’s an exaggeration but his perseverance and passion is beyond comprehension for sure.

Stokes, astounded at Anderson’s commitment, heaped praise on the veteran. “I think that's just Jimmy's attitude. If people can understand when they are not part of the playing XI that they can still have a huge influence on Test match week then that is great. It's small things like being 12th man when it's hot, lads need rehydrating and we need to concentrate the whole time with guys coming on and off the field. Even guys who aren't in the XI have a real understanding that they are contributing, albeit not physically in the game.”

Stokes then asked his compatriots and several youngsters seeking to play Test cricket to use Anderson as an inspiration. “Bringing Jimmy's experience (for the second Test), the class that he has, is great and I think it also goes under the radar how good his record in India is. Considering what Jimmy is going for - 'the swing king' and all that - it just proves how good a bowler he is. He has different skillsets that I will be able to exploit in Indian conditions. It's not just picking Jimmy for the new ball, it's the other stuff he possesses as well. It’s great that Jimmy is doing good things for the old boys out there. It's huge credit and lots of people should look up to Jimmy considering he is where he is at 41.