Forget the extraordinary achievements – the reason we’re going to miss James Anderson is that, as a man, he’s so ordinary. Yes, he’s played more Tests for England than anyone else (188), and taken more wickets (701 and counting, at least for another day or two). Indeed his haul is easily the best by any fast bowler in the world – only the spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne did better, Warne by a very slim margin.
Goodbye then, Jimmy, you routine superstar, you everyday hero
Anderson has bowled more Test maidens than Phillip de Freitas bowled Test overs. (This is a tribute to the former rather than a dig at the latter, who played 44 times for his country.) Shoaib Bashir, one of his teammates in this final match, wasn’t even born when Anderson played his first. Perhaps the loveliest way to get your head round his longevity is to reflect on the fact that he has played Test cricket under more prime ministers than any other Englishman.
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