With the wicket of Kuldeep Yadav in the Dharamsala Test, James Anderson became the first-ever pacer and only the third bowler in history – after Muttiah Muralidaran and Shane Warne – to pick 700 Test wickets.
The 41-year-old had begun his career in 2003 and he is in his 21st year, and he has featured in 187 Tests; only Sachin Tendulkar, with 200 Test caps, has played more – which is simply an unbelievable effort for a fast bowler.
That James Anderson is still England’s spearhead pacer is a testament to his fitness, longevity, and more than anything, his ability to keep improving and upskilling himself so that he remains potent across conditions.
His bowling career can be divided into three phases which underscores the above point. Till 2009, he averaged 34 with the ball; from 2009 to 2013, he averaged 27; and since 2014, he is averaging 22. Anderson’s aging like a fine wine and has kept getting better and better.
One thing, though, has is sometimes held against him – which is now not factually correct anyway – is he gets trolled as ‘Clouderson’. A section of cricket fans still feel that James Anderson has had his success mostly because he’s bowled in pacer-friendly English conditions; the same thought applies from these fans when they talk about R Ashwin’s stunning record by being a spinner in India/Asian conditions.
James Anderson 700 Test wickets: Busting the ‘Clouderson’ myth
Until 2013, Anderson had a lopsided home and away record: average of 27 at home, 36 overseas. However, in this time, he had played crucial roles in England winning an away Ashes series in Australia in 2010/11 and winning a series in India in 2012 – the two toughest things for England do to since then; England have not won a single Test match in Australia and only two Test match wins in India in this period.
In the last 10 years, James Anderon’s away average is a terrific 24 in his past 42 Tests away from home while his home average in this period is 21.76. He’s maintained his home dominance while greatly improving his away records. He’s bettered his average in the past 10 years in all away countries, except for India, where spinners have mostly run the riots in this period as pitches have gone more and more spin-friendly with WTC points coming at stake.
His average in Asia in the last 10 years is 23.56 – incredible for a pacer, especially an away pacer. Anderson has 92 wickets in Asia, which is equal to the highest by any non-Asian pacer, Dale Steyn, who had a higher pace than Anderson.
Another factor associated with Anderson even when he is not taking wickets is the incredible control he provides. Anderson’s economy over the past 10 years, especially when on the road, makes him stand out. In the past 10 years, he has managed an economy rate of 2.12 in Australia, 2.54 in South Africa, 2.65 in India, 1.87 in the UAE, 2.09 in Sri Lanka, and 2.56 in New Zealand.
James Anderson is not the ‘Clouderson’ some may believe he is.
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