Twenty years in any sport is a huge landmark. For a fast bowler, to be able to play for as long is even more unlikely, and the fact that James Anderson has come to the point he is at alone speaks volumes of his greatness as a pacer. Through his journey, he has bowled with the veterans of the English bowling attack, made a wonderful partnership with Stuart Broad, and is now bowling with potential future stars such as Ollie Robinson, while he remains the greatest among them all.

After years of shoulder, knee, and ankle straining burden, and a handful of side strains, James Anderson’s body will truly be feeling the burden of carrying the bowling attack over the years. Despite all the burden though, James Anderson, in all likelihood, unless his groin injury decides to play spoilsport, will gear up for his tenth Ashes. During the Ashes, he could well cross 700 Test Wickets, and go second on the all-time wickets tally with Shane Warne at 708.

He will also be playing his 28th Test at Lords. 28 Tests is a huge number in a single venue, especially when a handful of talented pacers have struggled to play the same amount regardless of their venue. The journey though started way back in 2003, when James Anderson was picked for his first Lords Test. He made his first entry into the Lords Honours board straight away with a five-for in the first innings. Before being unleashed in Test Cricket, James Anderson first found himself in the white-ball side.

After a tough Ashes tour, he faced the Australian team in a white-ball series. His first time against Australia did not go so well, but when he took them on a month later, James Anderson, in Adelaide, proved that he has what it takes for the big stage. A few months of tidy bowling in white-ball cricket and James Anderson found himself sharing the new-ball with Matthew Hoggard, his first bowling partner in Test Cricket.

After his initial few Tests though James Anderson was often sidelined, with a lot of work being done on his action. While his action today is as smooth as it can get, back in the day he had a very frantic action, which led to thoughts about his sustainability. Instead of guile, he was more so on pace and rhythm. The first few Tests though saw Anderson get through some quick milestones, including a hat-trick against Pakistan.

His performances though, have kept getting better with age. After 30 in particular, James Anderson, with his swift action kept finding reasons to prolong his career. With 417 wickets after the age of 30, James Anderson took a major chunk of his wickets at a stage where most fast bowlers would be close to giving up the longest format.

With each year, his numbers constantly improved, and he consistently challenged himself to go on tours, particularly to the subcontinent, which is often known to be a graveyard for pacers of his style. He now gears up for another Ashes series, and with his history, it would be too early to decide if this will be his last one as he continues to hold the English bowling attack together.

James Anderson Reaches the Double-Decade Mark

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