James Anderson picks two fast-bowling legends and Indian great as the best bowlers and batter he faced in his career
Veteran England pacer James Anderson recently named the best bowlers and the best batter he played against in his long career. The legendary fast bowler is set to play his final Test for England against the West Indies at Lord's, which begins on Wednesday, July 10.
Anderson picked Australian legend Glenn McGrath and former South African speedster Dale Steyn as the two best fast bowlers he faced. While both McGrath and Steyn had different strengths, Anderson felt it was difficult to separate the two.
As far as batters were concerned, James Anderson picked Sachin Tendulkar as the best batter he bowled to. Here's what he said on Sky Sports:
"The best bowler I have faced, probably Glenn Mcgrath or Dale Steyn. Hard to pick between the two. Slightly different bowlers, both world-class. Best batter, I would have to say Sachin Tendulkar."'
James Anderson has dismissed Sachin Tendulkar as many as nine times in Tests. In 350 balls faced in Tests off Anderson, Tendulkar managed to score 208 runs.
James Anderson is among the top 10 cricketers of all time: Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan heaped praise on James Anderson, highlighting his longevity and international wickets (987). While there is a lot of debate about whether Anderson is the greatest fast bowler ever, Vaughan feels the England legend is certainly among the top 10 cricketers of all time.
On this, here's what Vaughan said on the Club Prairie Fire podcast:
"In international cricket, I think he (Anderson) has got 987 polls. He could easily be up there. He is certainly England's greatest by a good mile or two because Stuart Broad is close and the likes of Freddie Trueman back in the day were outstanding. I think he is in the top 10 cricketers of all time."
As per ESPNcricinfo, England decided to move on from Anderson to start grooming young pacers ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes down under.