Amidst the heroics of 16-year old Lamine Yamal in the ongoing Euros and Jasmine Palolini’s run in the Wimbledon, the retirement of a cricketing legend got pushed to the corner of the sports pages.
England’s Jimmy Anderson stepped on the cricket field for the 188th and last time, when he played against West Indies in the Lord’s Test last week.
For some players their records tell their story whereas for others the numbers don’t quite capture their achievements. Anderson belongs to the first category – a staggering 704 Test wickets at an average of 26.45. For a fast bowler to have lasted till the age of 41 is proof of Anderson’s stamina, fitness and determination. Having made his debut in 2003 under Nasser Hussain’s captaincy, Anderson has been a constant presence in the English team over the last two decades.
This Lancastrian was not a flamboyant, flashy fast bowler — he was of the shy, reticent type who let his seam and swing do the talking. The pace may have dropped in the recent times, as is to be expected, but the line and length were still probing enough to fetch him wickets. Like a lot of bowlers his home record was better than his away record. But he also played a good 66 fewer innings away from home. Also at neutral venues, he had a spectacular average of 20.54.
Anderson’s battles against Virat Kohli tell a fascinating tale. In the disastrous 2014 series in England where Kohli flopped, Anderson had got his scalp four times. But in the 2018 series, Kohli got the better of Anderson as he couldn’t get Kohli’s wicket even once, though India went on to lose the series 1-4.
Anderson recently said that the best batter he bowled against was Sachin Tendulkar, though he did get his wicket nine times in the 14 Tests they played against each other.
Great cricketers don’t always get the send off they deserve. But Anderson was an exception. Thanks for the memories, Jimmy.