Jimmy Anderson, when he hangs up his spikes at Lord’s this summer, will retire as the world’s greatest seamer. There’s no argument to be had.
He will also still be known as the grumpiest bowler in the English game. There’s no argument there either.
Anderson and I go way back, to the early days of the ECB Academy and 2000s age-grade tours abroad.
We roomed together in those days and were pretty similar. About 10 months apart in age and both very shy; we never really spoke too much even when sharing a room.
The finest
But when he went on to play his first Test, against Zimbabwe 21 years ago this month, and in the subsequent 186 matches since then, Anderson grew and continued to develop into one of the finest the game has ever seen.
When I heard of his retirement I did reach out to tell him that there would be no one else like him in the game. He is a marvel.
His averages now are better than they were back in the day and it is testament to him that he’s just eight wickets off matching the great spinner Shane Warne. He’d need a ton more to match all-time record holder Muthiah Muralidaran.
Whether he was attacking around the wicket, angling in and clipping the off stump, or sending in late-swinging fuller deliveries, he did it all.
It would be fair to say that other bowlers will end their careers with better averages or statistics in terms of wickets per innings or consistency in delivery pace, but the longevity of Anderson puts him a cut above the rest.
I know what it is like to bowl 50 overs in a Test, 200 in a series, day after day for month after month. It is gruelling. The recovery can often be harder than the output and the knocks and niggles you pick up along the way can be brutal.
Anderson spectacular
So for Jimmy to be able to motor on for two decades is genuinely spectacular.
This summer, he can hang up his spikes and never return to the game if he doesn’t want to. He has earned that right. No one would think less of him if he chose not to go into coaching.
But he likes his media career and his podcast is flying, so I’d expect him to have a bit of fun with that before taking on any full-time coaching role in the future.
He has so much to offer the game, and whether that is through analysis like Rob Key used to do before his move into governance or being in the coaching box, he will be just fine.
Test goodbye
As I said when I opened this column, the bloke is a grumpy one. He keeps himself to himself but we have seen in recent years him taking on a senior role with the Bazball generation – and that’s great to see given our beginnings together in the early noughties.
And with nine wickets to tick off to overtake the legend that is Warne, who would honestly bet against that in his last remaining Test?
He loves Lord’s. His international career started at the home of cricket and it will end there.
His record on that famous crease 8,026 days ago was four not out with the bat and figures of 5-73 and 0-65.
Given his averages are better today, I wouldn’t put it past him having a memorable send-off like Alastair Cook’s century at the Oval or Stuart Broad’s wicket with his final ball in their swansong Tests.
All that’s left to say to a mate like Jimmy is “well bowled”, and I take my hat off to one almighty career.
Down Under