James Anderson’s 700 wickets: ‘You would not expect a player to improve as they get older’

James Anderson

James Anderson became just the third bowler and first fast bowler to take 700 wickets in Test cricket, as England toiled in Dharamsala.

Playing his 187th Test, Anderson, 41, had Kuldeep Yadav caught behind by Ben Foakes. His muted celebration betrayed both his relief – it has taken eight matches to get the final 15 wickets – but also England’s desperate situation in the game. Soon after Kuldeep was caught behind, India were dismissed for 477, a first innings lead of 259.

While there were just a couple of thousand England fans in the ground to toast the moment, Anderson’s father Michael was among them.

Anderson joins Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne (708) in the exclusive 700 club.

He is the first fast bowler to get there, and there is every chance that he will be the last, given the scale of the achievement and Test cricket’s shrinking schedule.

To mark the occasion, Telegraph Sport spoke to five great fast bowlers from five different countries about Anderson’s achievement.

Michael Holding, West Indies, 1975-1987

249 Test wickets at 23.7

It doesn’t matter how well managed Jimmy has been, or what era he is playing in, the man is 41… years… old. He is running up and bowling fast, and bowling fast is hard work, irrespective of how easy someone’s action might look.

There are many fast bowlers from the past, that even if they had his management, would never have lasted this long. And no other fast bowler of his era, with his management, has endured like he has. When Courtney Walsh was doing it in his late-thirties, I thought ‘this man has some special stamina and is unique’. Jimmy has gone years past that! I played 60 Tests and I was done, physically.

I remember Jimmy at the very start, with that red streak in his hair, and covered close to 100 of his Tests for Sky. One thing I love about him is the fact that initially his overseas record was ordinary. But he has improved that overseas record tremendously by adding new skills. You wouldn’t expect a player to improve anything as they get older. Maybe maintaining your level, but not improving it.

Jimmy’s greatest skill has been his control. Every day he looks in control of what he is doing, and very few fast bowlers are like that. People have tricks, pace, skill, but you cannot last without incredible control like his. I can always tell when he’s not 100 percent fit, because that’s the only time he ever loses any control.

A word for Stuart Broad, too. They complemented each other, causing havoc for batsmen. You need partnerships in bowling, that has been true through the ages. My West Indies team was unique in the 1980s because we had so many bowlers, but it’s normally pairs. The one great fast bowler who didn’t have another superb bowler at the other end was Richard Hadlee.

Stuart Broad (left) and James Anderson became the most prolific bowling partnership in Test history – Getty Images/Ryan Pierse

700 is an outrageous figure. When Fred Trueman set the world record for fast bowlers, no one expected a fast bowler to go past him. It was a spinner first, Lance Gibbs. And to hear that a fast bowler has now taken 700 wickets… that is a miracle.

Richard Hadlee, New Zealand 1973-1990

431 Test wickets at 22.3

For Jimmy Anderson to reach 700 Test wickets is an extraordinary achievement, and a proud moment for him, English cricket and the world game. He has shown true resilience and stamina along with superb fitness. He has mesmerised many of the world’s best batsmen with his control of swing (both ways) and nippy pace, with that simple, efficient, repeatable action.

I finished as a Test cricketer just after my 39th birthday. It took me more than 17 years to play 86 Tests, because New Zealand generally played six each year (three home, three away. I only played in two four-Test series.

That diet of cricket meant I had an incentive and motivation to keep playing as long as possible, especially as had Ian Botham’s world record of 373 wickets (which I passed in 1988), then being the first bowler to 400 wickets (which I passed in 1990) in my sights. After that, I had scaled my Everest, and knew the tour of England in 1990 would be my finale.

I relied on peak fitness and bowling to play that long. I very rarely used a gym (I didn’t like them), but did running and sprint work that along with stretching gave me a flexible body. For the last 10 years of my career I had a shortened run-up, and a simple, repeatable technique, which also contributed to my longevity.

But by 39, I found it increasingly difficult to recover from a big bowling day and replicate the same effort the day after. There was not enough time for my body to get over any aches, pains or niggles. I knew it was time to retire!

Jimmy has played more Tests each year, for more years, and has gone on longer age-wise. It is quite remarkable.

Allan Donald, South Africa 1992-2002

330 Test wickets at 22.3

The words that come to mind immediately are ridiculous and remarkable. I am in awe of how Jimmy is still going. The skill will never leave him, but to retain the energy, intensity and desire is incredible. It’s so tough bowling quick in India, and he’s still taking wickets and making the ball talk. It’s freakish really and while you never say never, I can’t see another fast bowler taking 700 wickets.

I was coming to the end of my career at the 2003 World Cup, when he burst onto the scene. I vividly remember being in our team hotel and watching England play Pakistan at Newlands, and Jimmy producing a sublime display of swing bowling at great pace. He had a great hairstyle then, and they never seem to end either!

In 2007 I did a four-month spell as England bowling coach. Jimmy was still so young then and I thought that he had unbelievable skills, but was a bit woolly and was trying to do too much with the ball, finding huge swing in and out. That is one of the many amazing things about watching him now, the understanding and mastery of his craft that he’s developed. He uses the crease so well, swinging the ball from wide, from close, and doesn’t try to overdo. Even then, he did his homework so well, and was a great studier of the game.

I coach the Lions in South Africa now, and only the other week I played our fast bowlers clips of Jimmy, showing how he set batsmen up and showing that he always had a plan. He is so patient with his stock ball, waiting to unleash the variation like a big inswinger at exactly the right moment. I said that if these guys want to learn to bowl swing, they had to watch Jimmy.

Stuart Broad, England 2007-2023

604 Test wickets at 27.6

I had the privilege of fielding at mid-on for 138 Tests with Jimmy. I have never been in a Rolls Royce, but that is what I imagine being in the passenger seater of a Roller feels like. Everything is so smooth in the approach, there is no great force through the action, and there are no jolty, exaggerated movements.

With a milestone like this, it’s easy to talk about dedication and sacrifices. Of course that applies massively to Jimmy, but you have to combine it with a truly elite level of skill to deliver as consistently as he has for so long.

There were times when I watched him, especially at Lord’s when the ball was swinging, in absolute astonishment, thinking “this guy is so skillful he’s unplayable”. That said, the one game that stands out is Trent Bridge in 2013, when he stood up and won the game on his own. People remember the last wicket, Brad Haddin with DRS, but that was his 10th of the match on a slow, dry surface, hardly a classic English pitch. He used his full range, including an unbelievable off-cutter to get Michael Clarke.

Jimmy’s record has kept getting better, but he is not someone who has been on a steep upward graph throughout his career. Look at last summer, when his future was questioned. At those times he has such a deep belief and understanding of what he needs to do to compete at the top, that even after seven months out of the game, he returned in India looking like he had been playing every week.

Broad and Anderson helped each other out throughout their careers, though were in competition early on – Getty Images/Gareth Copley

How has Jimmy done it? The way I’d describe his approach is a healthy addiction. You hear stories about Muttiah Muralitharan, one of only two men ahead of him, and people say he was totally obsessed, living and breathing the game and watching every minute he could. Jimmy is not like that. He loves the game, but likes time away from it and has other interests. He’s a meticulous preparer physically, but he is not a stats nerd or mad researcher. He barely needs to research, because he has seen it all, knows exactly what his plans are, and works new problems out so quickly.

Pat Cummins, Australia 2011-present

263 Test wickets at 22.4

It’s just an insane number when you think about him picking up four wickets per Test as a rough average across this many games and so many years.

I’ve always found Jimmy an incredibly tough competitor. You can always tell he wants the ball in his hand and can adapt to the conditions beautifully.

As a fast bowler, you are always looking to pick up little things from anywhere you can, including opponents. I’ve always admired and been interested in the way Jimmy uses swing. He’s a guy who can swing it a lot, but shows real restraint with how much he swings it, knowing that a little bit of movement can be more dangerous than massive hoop.

His use of the seam is outstanding too, and he is always looking to perfect it.

The things I most admire about Jimmy are his longevity and adaptability. Playing a lot of Test cricket is obviously hard, but to do it for as long as Jimmy has as a fast bowler is simply unheard of.

The other layer is that as a Test cricketer, you only play about half of your games at home. So he’s best known and remembered for his spells with a swinging Dukes ball in England, but what’s impressive is his ability to adapt and evolve and be effective anywhere in the world.

Could I still be going at 42? [Laughs]. I doubt it. Forget about keeping your skills up to scratch, I just don’t see how a 41-year-old still has the body to be bowling in Test cricket. Seriously impressive.

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