James Anderson becomes England's leading Test wicket-taker
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James Anderson's journey
to becoming England's leading wicket-taker in Tests began with a swing-bowling
clinic at the home of cricket.
With his baggy shirt and
blonde highlights in his hair, a 20-year-old Anderson steamed in at Lord's to
take a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in his first Test innings in May 2003.
It was clear from that day that England had an exceptional bowler on their
hands.
Anderson surpassed Ian Botham's national-record haul of
383 wickets that has stood since 1992 when he removed West Indies batsman
Denesh Ramdin on the final day of the first Test in Antigua on Friday.
Fittingly, he reached the mark in his 100th Test.
Ultimately, the man known
in England as the "Burnley Express" - after the northern town where
he was born - is unlikely to be as fondly remembered as Botham, the maverick
allrounder who is widely regarded as one of England's greatest sportsmen, not
just cricketers.
Yet Anderson arguably
will go down as England's most skillful paceman, a master in the art of swing
and seam bowling who had a central role in three successive Ashes series
victories and helped the team become No. 1-ranked in the Test format.
The crazy hair styles
that marked his early international years, and earned him the moniker "the
Beckham of cricket," soon disappeared, but injuries and tinkering with his
action disrupted his progress from 2004-07, when he was in and out of the team.
Since 2008, however, when
he was named among Wisden's five cricketers of the year, he has been a prolific
leader of England's attack. In that year, he took 7-43 against New Zealand at
Trent Bridge, which remain his best Test figures.
In the 2010-11 Ashes tour
Down Under, when England retained the urn, Anderson took 26 wickets at 26.04
and he was marked out as one of the world's top bowlers. His ability to get
reverse swing cut him adrift form his peers and he managed his body well to
escape to keep him injury-free, although he still wakes up with sore knees and
a stiff back after long bowling sessions.
Charming, funny, even shy
away from the crease, Anderson has picked up a reputation for being aggressive
on it and for being one of England's top sledgers. He was accused of pushing
India allrounder Ravindra Jadeja on their way to the dressing rooms during a
series last year, but an investigation cleared him.
With England playing 17
Tests in 2015, don't put them past Anderson to reach the 400-wicket mark
sometime this year.
