NEWS
Follow UsJames Anderson’s legacy in the sport's longest format is undeniably great. After all, he is the only pacer in the sport's history to have scaled Mount 700, which shows his resilience, determination, and endurance over a 21-year-long career.
The 41-year-old made his debut under Nasser Hussain's tutelage against Zimbabwe way back in 2003, finishing with figures of 5/73 at Lord’s. While he has only played in three Tests under Hussain’s leadership, being in the same camp as Hussain had the biggest influence on Anderson’s career.
“Nasser was quite intense as a captain and a lot of people didn't like the way he went about things. But for me, as a 20-year-old, I needed that firmness and instruction. He would really tell you what was demanded of you,” Anderson told BCC in an episode of the ‘Tailenders Podcast’, ahead of his last Test at Lord's.
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Much of Anderson’s red-ball success, however, came under Sir Alastair Cook, where he picked up 191 wickets, averaging 25.75, his best under any captain. But team success came under Andrew Strauss, who successfully led the Three Lions to Ashes success at home in 2009.
“He [Hussain] probably had the biggest influence on me, just because of the stage of my career I was at when I played under him. We had most success under Andrew Strauss, but I don't know whether that was down to his captaincy or just the group of players that we had. Probably more so the group of players,” he added.
Anderson’s career will never be remembered for his pace but for his accuracy that made him stand out in an England jersey. The 41-year-old mastered the art of swing, with some stellar performances through the years, swinging it both ways. He also had amazing success in Asia, where he reversed the ball with ease, scalping 92 wickets at an average of 27.51.
However, there was a phase when the now-English legend pushed himself to bowl 95 miles per hour, working closely with the then-bowling coach Troy Cooley.
“Troy Cooley, the bowling coach at the time, was into biomechanics. We had a net session with dots put on us, cameras filming in order to see what the bones were doing in the bowling action. My spine was like an S shape,” he narrated.
“They thought I was going to get injured and I could bowl quicker, even though I was bowling 90mph when I first came into the team. They reckon they could have got me up to 95 if I just changed my action a little bit.”
“I got injured after changing my action and I didn't bowl great for 12 months straight after that period. They weren't trying to damage me, they did it for the best of me and the team,” he added.
Despite being rivals on the pitch, Anderson didn’t shy away from picking attributes of two Australian players - Glenn McGrath and Pat Cummins - in building his ideal bowler.
“You would pick Glenn McGrath's accuracy and Dale Steyn's wrist position. Being a Lancashire fan, I always loved Wasim Akram's action. He was an insane bowler. He swung it both ways and reversed it really well,” he said.
Anderson lauded Cummins ‘bowling action’ and insisted that the 31-year-old has an amazing snap as he loads up towards the bowling crease. Interestingly, the 700 Test wicket legend also narrated a tale where he mimicked Cummins’ bowling action in Sri Lanka to get a wicket.
“I really like Pat Cummins' action. There was a Test match in Galle in Sri Lanka where I was feeling really stiff after lunch. Mark Wood was at mid-off and I said: "I'm going to copy Pat Cummins' action now and try to bowl like him." I got a wicket in that over and Woody said: "You should bowl like him all time."
“He's got an amazing snap. When he gets to the top of his action, everything seems to go really quick. When he bowls the ball, he just snaps through the crease. Because I was feeling stiff and a bit sluggish, I was trying to recreate that speed and it worked.”
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