England quick to bow out
James Anderson will bow out as one of cricket’s alltime greats when England faces West Indies in July after becoming the first pace bowler to take 700 Test wickets.
The 41-year-old will bring down the curtain on a glorious Test career at Lord’s, 21 years after his debut, as England coach Brendon McCullum looks to build for the future with one eye on the 2025-26 Ashes.
“I’m going to miss walking out for England so much,” Anderson said.
“But I know the time is right to step aside and let others realise their dreams just like I got to, because there is really no greater feeling.”
Only two spinners, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 Test wickets) and the late Australia great Shane Warne (708), are ahead of Anderson on the all-time list of the five-day game’s most successful bowlers. Anderson joined the exclusive “700 club” in his 187th Test during England’s tour of India this year.
The Lancashire seamer has defied his age and the toil of the gruelling Test format thanks to his conventional swing bowling skill and an ability to generating reverse-swing later in an innings while maintaining tight control.
Those qualities have helped him pick up 32 fivewicket hauls at an average of 26.52.
In defiance of conventional wisdom about the physical toll of pace bowling, Anderson has been just as effective late in his career as the spring chicken who flew into the crease two decades previously.
Statistics compiled by
ESPN Cricinfo show that in the years he was aged 25 to 29, Anderson averaged 28.47 runs per Test wicket. Between 30 and 34, that figure improved to 25.45, and since turning 35, Anderson’s average is just under 23.