Walsh lauds Anderson’s feat

James Anderson, England’s merchant of swing who became the highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers in Tests on Tuesday, has an admirer in the legendary Courtney Walsh.

The West Indies fast bowling great, now here as coach of Bangladesh for the upcoming Asia Cup, rates Anderson — along with the likes of Virat Kohli and Rashid Khan as some of the cricketers he admired from the current generation.

“You have to look at his consistency and what he has achieved,” Walsh said about the Englishman, who overtook Glenn McGrath’s haul of 563 wickets in the last Test against India. He also rates Dale Steyn, the South African, as one of his favourites for his aggression and the “way he runs in”.

Walsh’s Bangladesh have been the first team to land in Dubai to familiarise with the conditions — with the temperature expected to hover around 40 degrees when the matches get under way in the afternoon. “It will be a challenge for the bowlers and my job will be to keep them as fresh as possible. The good news is Fizz (Mustafizur Rahman) is also coming back to form and I am quite excited about the two weeks ahead,” he added.