James Anderson – From master of swing to master of all conditions
Anderson’s journey to 704 Test wickets was one of constant improvement, and the improvement in his overseas numbers bear testimony to this
S Rajesh09-Mar-2024Seven-hundred-and-four. That’s the wickets tally that James Anderson finally finished with after a match haul of 4 for 58 in his final Test at Lord’s, against West Indies. Only two bowlers – Muttiah Muralidaran and Shane Warne – have a bigger haul of Test wickets, but among fast bowlers, Anderson is a cool 100 wickets ahead of the next best, which is indicative of just how staggering an achievement it is. First of all, there’s the sheer longevity factor itself: only Sachin Tendulkar has played more Tests than Anderson’s 187; among fast bowlers, the next best is Stuart Broad with 167, but the third-highest is only 132, by Courtney Walsh.
The ageless wonderIt has helped, of course, that England play more Tests than any other team, but even so, it’s a monumental feat, and especially so for a fast bowler. With Anderson, though, it’s not just that he has played so many games; he has also maintained ridiculously high standards throughout his career, and in fact, improved his numbers as he has gone along, adding more skills to his armoury to make him a complete bowler in all conditions. His numbers in Asia are a shining testimony to that, and in that sense, it was quite fitting that he reached no. 700 in India.Anderson’s career progression shows how his numbers have improved in the second half of his career. Till wicket number 400, he averaged at least 27 in each of the four 100-wicket blocks; since then, it’s been under 25, with his best phase being from 400 to 500, when he averaged under 20. He slowed down for his last 104 though: it took him 32 Tests, though the average remained excellent.
Breaking up his career into three blocks, the improvement at each stage is obvious: an average of nearly 35 in his first 44 Tests, which dropped to 27 in his next 47, which has further improved to 22.57 in his last 97.
After turning 35, Anderson has taken 224 wickets at 22.71. Among all bowlers, only one has more wickets after 35 – Rangana Herath, who took 233 from 46 games; among fast bowlers Walsh is the only other to even get to 150.
Almost a third of Anderson’s Test wickets came after he turned 35, which is a great achievement for any bowler, but even more so for a seamer. The only fast bowler with a higher percentage – with a 300-wicket cut-off – was Walsh, who took almost 35% of his 519 wickets after that age. Out of the 37 bowlers in the 300-wicket club, 23 took fewer than six percent of their total wickets post 35. Among the 28 fast bowlers in this list, only seven managed to take more than six percent of their career wickets after 35. That puts Anderson’s achievement in proper perspective.
Not only did Anderson take plenty of wickets after turning 35, he also improved his average significantly, from 28.20 to 22.71. That’s a ratio of 1.24 between these two averages. Among the 23 bowlers who have taken 50 or more wickets before and after 35 – the length of this list itself shows how unusual this achievement is – only three have a better ratio, two of whom finished their careers more than 100 years ago.
Anderson’s numbers over the last decade are so good that among the 16 bowlers with 200-plus wickets since 2014, only two have a better average than his 22.57, and not by that much either. Kagiso Rabada has been outstanding, averaging 22.05 at a strike rate of under 40, while R Ashwin has been marginally better.
An all-conditions championIn the early years of his career, Anderson was reckoned to be a bowler who was a handful when conditions were in his favour, but not quite so dangerous in less hospitable conditions. Till the end of 2013, he averaged 27.34 at home, but only 36.74 overseas.In those first ten years, though, Anderson was gradually building up his skillset, adding more tricks to his bag. The results showed in the last decade of his international career: the overseas average has dropped to 24.10 in his last 42 Tests outside England, which is not too far from his home average of 21.63 in the same period. Moreover, he has averaged under 31 in all countries during this period; before 2014, he averaged over 35 in five countries, including New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The only country in which his average is poorer in the last ten years, compared to the first ten, is India – it has dropped marginally from 29.81 to 30.72.
Especially impressive over the last decade was his average in Asia: 23.56. Overall too, his average in the continent is 27.51, showing how well he has adapted to conditions which often aren’t ideal for seam and swing bowling. His overall tally of 92 wickets in the continent equals the highest by any non-Asian fast bowler in Asia. Admittedly Dale Steyn has reached there in ten fewer Tests, at a slightly better average and a much better strike rate, but Steyn had the advantage of pace to cut through the slower pitches, along with all his other immense skills. Anderson has had to devise other methods, and work much harder – he has bowled 1903 more deliveries to get to 92 Test wickets in Asia.
Uncle ScroogeAnderson’s huge strength has been the control he has always provided to his captain. Over his entire career, he has achieved an economy rate of 2.79, which is third among all fast bowlers with at least 200 wickets during this period. Since 2014, though, it’s even better: among bowlers with at least 150 wickets in this period – there are 26 who make the cut – Anderson leads the way, conceding a mere 2.47 runs per over.
As in the comparison of averages in each country, Anderson’s economy rate has also improved significantly when playing overseas since 2014. His economy rates in Asia: 1.87 in the UAE, 2.09 in Sri Lanka, 2.20 in Pakistan and 2.65 in India. The value he provides with control in these conditions has been vital even when he hasn’t been among the wickets, though it’s also true that he has been used relatively sparingly in these conditions: he has bowled only 28 overs per Test in 18 Tests in Asia in this period.
Outside of Asia too, he has tightened up considerably compared to his first decade in Test cricket: economy rate of 2.12 in Australia, 2.54 in South Africa and 2.56 in South Africa, from the mid-to-high threes earlier.Anderson’s strike rate in Tests isn’t up there with the best: his career strike rate of 56.9 is 15th out of 20 fast bowlers who have taken at least 200 wickets since his debut, and since 2013, he is 11th out of 16 fast bowlers with 150-plus wickets. But Anderson’s modus operandi was always different, and a career haul of 704 Test wickets suggests it worked pretty well for him.