• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Proud James Anderson Looks Back At Incredible Career After Initially Feeling Not Good Enough

'Proud' James Anderson looks back at 'incredible' career after initially feeling 'not good enough'

James Anderson has now become the most-experienced England Test cricketer having featured in the playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston. Looking back on his career that started against Zimbabwe in 2003, Anderson expressed a sense of pride in himself having played for an ‘incredible 15 years.’

"It's been an incredible 15 years really. Knowing how much Cooky [Alastair Cook] played it, makes me very proud I've actually got to this point," Anderson said.

He also expressed the lack of self-confidence he went through on his debut Test at Lord’s that left him with a feeling that he was not good enough as the level of international cricket was ‘a step too far’ from him from the level of county cricket.

"I thought I wasn't good enough. I thought it was a huge step up from county cricket. I remember Nasser didn't have a fine leg for me and I went for quite a few runs. My first ball was a no-ball as well so there were a lot of nerves there and I did feel like this was maybe a step too far for me at that point," Anderson recalled.

However, with more and more game and performances against India, Australia and South Africa—sides he rated ‘better’ in international cricket in his playing days helped him grow in confidence that he could ‘actually do it.’

"It took a few years. I think putting in some performances against the better sides in the world - no disrespect to Zimbabwe - but playing against teams like South Africa and Australia and India. Once you put in performances against the top teams in the world, that's when you can feel like you can actually perform at that level. So it did take a few years and a few tours around the world to make me think I could actually do it," Anderson.

James Anderson also prided on wining many hurdles over a long career that saw him getting to the top of the pile as the highest wicket-taker by a pacer in Test cricket. He called the stress fracture a ‘godsend’ in his career that demanded him to go back to old action and in turn helping him gain more consistency. 

"I'm proud of the fact that I've overcome little hurdles throughout my career and they've made me stronger. The stress fracture was like hitting the reset button I guess. I'd gone through a lot of changes in my action before that and that stress fracture was probably a Godsend," he said.

"It made me go back to my old action and since then I've felt really comfortable and got more consistent. That's really helped me and makes me feel proud I got stronger from that and never looked back."

James Anderson has 616 Test wickets to his name from 161 Test matches and England would want him to stay fit and keep going this year keeping in mind an all-important Ashes series at the end of the year and a home series against India.

Discover more
Top Stories
news

'Lost for words' Jason Holder accepts 'strange transition' after losing West Indies captaincy

Jason Holder has termed his sacking from the captaincy of the West Indies cricket team a ‘shocking’ development when he got to know about the development. Holder was replaced by Kraigg Brathwaite as the Test captain while Kieron Pollard was handed over the leadership of the ODI team earlier this year. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Holder talked about the ‘strange transition’ he has gone through in the aftermath of losing captaincy in terms of changing priority and to-do list before a game that is largely limited his personal preparation and not thinking about the team combination. "Yeah, it's been difficult. I probably may not show it, but it has been difficult. For the last five-six years, I've been captaining West Indies, whether that be Test-match cricket or one-day cricket. So now being relieved of both captaincies, it has been a strange transition for me personally,” Holder said to ESPNcricinfo. "It's no longer a time where you've got to look to select teams, look at combinations… all these things have just gone through the window. So for me now, it's just a little bit more detailed as to as to my preparation into myself, particularly, and not having to deal with the team aspect of it." He conceded being ‘lost for words’ but said that he is moving forward with a mindset to get back into his character being a ‘regular player.’ "It was kind of a shock. Yeah, still lost for words in regards to that, but I am not dwelling on it. I don't think it's something I should dwell on, to be fair. "I am just trying to find ways to move on and transition back to just being a regular player. For me now, it's about showing a bit more of my character, and being a lot more… I would say outspoken. I am relatively outspoken, but just expressing myself a little bit more and having fun. Holder was stripped off from captaincy after he along with several senior players opted out of the tour of West Indies which turned out to be a grand success for the men in maroon under the leadership of Kraigg Brathwaite. Cricket West Indies wasted no time in putting all its weight behind the opener’s leadership after a remarkable series win in Bangladesh and replaced him as the captain of the Test team, ending a nearly six-year run of Holder, who assumed charge in 2015.

news

James Anderson surpasses Alastair Cook, becomes most-capped England player in Tests

England fast bowler James Anderson is now the most capped player for the team in Test cricket. The right-arm bowler featured in his 162 Test match and surpassed former captain Alastair Cook who had played 161 games for the team. "I can't believe I have got this far," Anderson told BBC Sport. "It's been an amazing journey." "I'm lucky that I have got a body that can cope with the rigours of bowling,” he added. Anderson made his debut in the year 2003 and has scalped 616 wickets during the course. He surpassed Sir Ian Botham's record 383 wickets in Tests in 2015 and became the first England bowler to pick 400 and 500 Test wickets. The Lancashire player became the first fast bowler to scalp 600 wickets. While he has been among the wickets consistently, Anderson has been a part of four Ashes-winning teams - in 2009, 2010-11, 2013 and 2015. Talking about his fitness, the pacer admitted that he works a lot on his fitness. "I work hard at my fitness and my skills. It also has the hunger to turn up every day to try to get better,” he said. England are taking on New Zealand in the second Test of the two-match series at Edgbaston. The first clash between the two sides ended in a draw. Both sides made few changes. New Zealand were without the services of their regular captain Kane Williamson, spinner Mitchell Santner and wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling. Williamson is missing this match to get some rest for his 'irritated' left-elbow while Santner was ruled out of this game with a split left index finger. Watling was out of the Test after failing to recover from a sore back. The home side on the other hand were without Olli Robinson who made his debut at Lord’s and picked up seven wickets in two innings. He was suspended by the ECB after his racist and sexist tweets that he had posted when he was teenager had resurfaced.