CHENNAI: Ben Stokes is on the edge of the Lord's balcony, egging on James Anderson. And so are the thousands of fans at the iconic venue. It had been the norm for the better part of the last two decades, but Friday was different.
They were not cheering for Anderson to run in and deliver a perfect outswinger there to take the outside edge of the batter at the other end. That part of his life is done and dusted. Here, Anderson walked out with a full glass of Guinness as the fans stood on the outfield, singing 'Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Anderson'. He chugged it in one go for one last time in an England shirt before raising the glass. After that, he walked back into the dressing room.
A sun had set. A 21-year-old long career had come to an end.
For those mortals on the outfield looking on as Anderson exited the balcony, it was not just about 188 Tests, 704 wickets and the 40,000 odd legal deliveries he had bowled for England in whites. It was so much more. A celebration of someone who had been an integral part of their life in this century.
Anderson means different things to different generations. For those born in the 90s, he was the one who kept them glued to the televisions, brought them to the grounds. He was the one they emulated on a cloudy weekend in their backyard. For Rachael Wong, mother of England pacer Issy Wong, he was the source to learn about the game her daughter had grown fond of. "Thank You Jimmy - I have never known cricket without you. The enjoyment has been learning this game & seeing you do your thing, your skill, your fire," she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, before his last Test.
Above all, Anderson was the one unifying figure in England's rollercoaster history throughout the 21st century. And with some very valid reasons. Most wickets by a fast bowler in Test history, second-most number of matches (only Sachin Tendulkar has more with 200), the accolades go on. But it is not the numbers that make Anderson an all-time great. It plays its due part, but Anderson is about longevity. For a seamer to play at the highest level for 21 years is unheard of in the last 60 years. To keep up with the demands of the modern day game where the play moves much faster. Couple that with the schedule getting more chaotic, it takes an incredible amount of physical and mental fortitude.
"It is huge," says former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie. "James needs to take a lot of credit for not only physically but mentally being able to continually churn out. You hear a lot of players who get to a point in time where they just go 'You know what? I've had enough. I don't want to do this anymore.' It's a testament to his mental strength.
"I think he's obviously kept himself in physically wonderful shape but it's his mental strength and his desire, his competitiveness. Because, once you lose those things, it's very hard. Once you lose your competitiveness, it's very hard to motivate yourself to keep yourself fit and strong, to run in and bowl and to continue to play cricket. And not only bowling but standing in the field and doing training sessions, gym, exercise, travel, being away from family, being away from friends and all that adds up. I think what we've seen is obviously a wonderful technician in the art of fast bowling and swing bowling. But we've also seen someone who's mentally as strong as anyone that's played the game because of the sheer longevity of being a fast bowler for this long, and still having the desire to continue to play," says the Pakistan red-ball coach.
Gillespie is not exaggerating. Here's one such example. In June 2021, having spent the day commentating on the England vs Sri Lanka ODI for BBC, Anderson was out in the middle with his spikes. The nation had moved on to the 2021 Euro final but he was out in the middle, doing fitness and bowling as he had to gear up for a five-Test series against India soon. The then 38-year-old, already with more Test wickets than anyone for England, knew where his body was at and what he needed to do to keep himself going.
As Anderson finishes four wickets shy of Shane Warne, Gillespie explains why he was able to sustain what he did for so long. "I'm not sure Anderson would have been too concerned about passing Warne. I genuinely think he just loved playing cricket and wanted to play for as long as he possibly could. Just the genuine love of the game. I think the competitive spirit that Anderson had that's been his motivation all along. Playing cricket for his country, winning games of cricket for England and just just getting in the contest and being a competitive cricketer."
While Anderson did his part, there are other factors as well that enabled him to push as long as he could. Stuart Broad pushed and brought the best out of him at the other end and England Cricket Board and the selectors protected him to get the most of him in one format and rightly so. Anderson, while signing off, might have told the broadcasters that he would like to be remembered as a 'decent' cricketer. History, however, will be a lot kinder to him.
Gillespie didn’t think for a second to say, “England's greatest ever fast bowler,” before adding, “There's no doubt about that. It is plain and simple. Him and Broad. And then you probably throw in Fred Trueman and Bob Willis. They're probably the best four fast bowlers that have ever played the game for England. And, Anderson is probably at the top of that pile. His legacy will last for a long, long time. It's hard to see how someone is going to surpass his tally.”
Indeed, Jersey No. 9. Jimmy Anderson. More than just a 'decent' cricketer. The greatest fast bowler England have ever produced.
