What happens when a fast bowler becomes the sixth most successful in the history of Test cricket? He is supposed to be hailed as a great, right? In most circumstances, that would be true. But when it comes to England’s James Anderson, the scenario is different.
First let’s look at the facts.
Anderson’s 443 Test wickets are the third most by any fast bowler. Only Glenn McGrath and Courtney Walsh have had more success than him. So logically, he should be seen as one of the finest seam bowlers the game has seen.
But strangely, there is a reluctance to even include him in conversations about the finest Test bowlers.
Maybe it is his nonchalant attitude, the permanent scowl on his face or habit of getting into a scuffle or two. Whatever the reasons, Jimmy is not adored by the masses.
Fair enough, he doesn’t have to be. Because it’s only the results that should matter. And Anderson has been delivering for 13 years.
While it is a fact that a majority of his wickets – 276 – have come at home, Anderson gave a few memorable efforts in tough conditions that helped England seal historic wins. First was the 2010-11 Ashes series in Australia. It was one of the best efforts by an England team while on tour and Anderson played a massive role in keeping the Australian batting under constant pressure. While Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott churnedout the centuries, you need wickets to win Tests and Anderson led the way with 24 scalps from five Tests.
England’s 3-1 series win simply wouldn’t have happened without Anderson.
Then in the following season, Anderson visited a country that was considered by many touring teams as a graveyard for traditional fast bowlers – India. England stumbled in the first Test, losing by nine wickets and the writing seemed to be on the wall with three more matches to go. But Anderson didn’t throw in the towel.
While the record books say that he only managed 12 wickets in four Tests, the impact of his tenacious line and workload (he bowled 126.4 overs which was second only to spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar who bowled more than 180) was huge. England’s 2-1 win was one of the finest comebacks seen in the subcontinent.
For India captain MS Dhoni, it was Anderson who turned the tide in England’s favour.
“I felt Anderson bowled well throughout the series on wickets where there was not much help for the fast bowlers. He kept the batsmen guessing.
The major difference between the two sides was Anderson,” Dhoni had said.
It is perplexing that despite overcoming a serious back injury and transforming himself into an exemplary swing bowler, some unimpressive numbers – like his 25 scalps from eight Tests in South Africa – are labelled as shortcomings.
But what about his 22 wickets on the super dry wickets in UAE from six Tests at an average of less than 21?
And if we take such stats into account without considering the overall impact a bowler has had on the game, it can also be said that Australia’s Dennis Lillee, who is acknowledged as a legend, never set foot in India to play a Test and took six wickets in all on Asian pitches. If Lillee, who played almost exclusively at home or in England, can be talked about in glowing terms then Anderson surely deserves a place at the table.
Anderson’s plight reminds me how the cricketing world viewed the contributions of Jacques Kallis.
Despite more than 25,000 international runs, 550 wickets and 300 catches, Kallis didn’t receive the same admiration as some other cricketers, either batsmen or all-rounders.
Even so, it doesn’t reduce the player’s stature in the history book. India batsman VVS Laxman once said that while his fellow star batsmen got all the accolades, he was happy to get the respect of the dressing room. And Anderson knows that he commands the respect of contemporary players.
The rest of us can keep debating.
Different parameters
The first Test between England and Sri Lanka finished inside three days. But as has become the norm, no questions were asked about the state of the pitch and if it was too helpful for fast bowlers. Last year’s Test series between India and South Africa too followed a similar pattern where teams struggled to cross 250 and two matches finished well before the fourth day.
I will never understand why variable bounce and square turners are considered unfair for the batsmen but fast bowlers moving the ball all over the place and even hitting the batsmen on the body on quick surfaces is seen as a great spectacle.
A challenge is a challenge and if Anderson and Stuart Broad setting up matches during a single spell under overcast conditions is applauded, then the feats on Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on ‘dust bowls’ should not be looked down upon.
