James Anderson: McGrath and Steyn are better than me
James Anderson has his sights set on 600 Test wickets, but doesn’t think that that will make him the best fast bowler of all time.
Writing in a column for Fox Sports after becoming Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker among quick bowlers, Anderson praised the man he overtook, Glenn McGrath, as being “much better” than him.
“He was a much better bowler than me,” Anderson said. “This is not false modesty. I may have gone past his wicket tally but I honestly believe McGrath’s bounce, relentless accuracy, aggression and ability to move the ball made him superior. He had everything.
“Of the modern era, I’d happily tip my hat towards Dale Steyn. With his express pace, control and swing, he’s better than me, too.”
Anderson said he learned from McGrath as well as admiring him. “I also loved McGrath’s attitude. He had plenty of a snarl on the field — a bit like me, I suppose — and was super-competitive. He hated giving away runs or not taking wickets. We’ve shared a beer a few times and he’s a cracking fellow. I listened to the way he prepared for games and it really helped me.
“I heard him say once that he practised for when the ball didn’t swing. So if it did swing, it was a bonus. That philosophy has been a big part of my development. You so often see bowlers pick out a lovely new ball from the bag at nets and it looks great when it swings in the air and nips off the seam with batsmen playing and missing. But you have to simulate match situations.
“What about when the ball is 60 overs old, the sun is blazing down, the pitch is flat and there’s not a hint of movement? So, at practice, I often take an old ball that looks like it’s been chewed by a dog and work on variations and aiming for the top of off stump. That’s the quickest way to improve your skills.”
His record having been broken, McGrath suggested Anderson might be the first pace bowler to take 600 wickets in Test cricket. Anderson agreed it was possible, confirming that for the moment he isn’t thinking of retirement.
“McGrath reckons I can go past 600 Test wickets — I’m on 564 — and I don’t see why that is not possible because I feel fit, enthusiastic and surprisingly fresh for a 36-year-old after five Tests in little more than six weeks. But I remember McGrath saying he went into the 2006-07 Ashes in Australia with no plans to retire but, by the end of that series, he knew his time was up.
“Maybe it could happen to me just as suddenly but, right now, I have no plans to follow Cooky into retirement.”
‘Cooky’ is Alastair Cook, England’s record runscorer who retired after the conclusion of his side’s victory in the fifth Test over India, and Anderson paid tribute to his best mate.
“I’m extremely fortunate to have him as a mate,” he said. “He’s so down-to-earth — he’s not on social media, tries to keep a low profile and loves his time on the farm with his family and those lambs. Cooky is someone I look up to for his work ethic and the way he conducts himself. I’ll miss him as a friend and a shoulder to cry on.”
England’s next assignment takes them to Sri Lanka. There has been suggestion, with both Anderson and fellow veteran seamer Stuart Broad having played all seven Tests this summer, that one or both will be rested for that trip, but Anderson poured cold water on the rumour.
“There have been some mutterings about Stuart Broad and me being rested for the Test tour of Sri Lanka later this year,” he said. “I’d be flabbergasted if that happens. We don’t play white-ball cricket so have plenty of time to recover from these five Tests and prepare for Sri Lanka. The Test players don’t fly out until late October. Then we have more than six weeks at home until departing for West Indies in the middle of January for three Tests. Again, plenty of time to recover.”
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/847969
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