'I Never Imagined In A Million Years I’d Get To This Point' : James Anderson Ahead Of Equaling Record Test Appearances For England

England veteran seamer James Anderson has indeed been built for a long haul. Having debuted way back in 2003, James Anderson’s longevity is stunning for a fast bowler as he gears up for yet another exciting English summer. The 38-year old, who has so far featured in a staggering 160 Tests, will take the field on the 2nd of June at the Lord’s against New Zealand for his 161st – equaling Alastair Cook’s record appearances for England.

Alastair Cook, who retired from international cricket in 2018, has the most number of Test appearances for England. But while Cook spent his career as an opening batsman, James Anderson has taken up the most demanding job of spearheading their pace attack. The Lancashire paceman is the most successful Test bowler with 614 wickets and is only eight away from 1000 first-class scalps.

James Anderson, who has seven Tests in the upcoming summer, said that it does make him proud and hardly imagined he would get to this point. The 38-year old underlined that it’s mind-blowing for a fast bowler to play these many Tests and does not feel like he has done so. Anderson also conceded his body does not feel tired at all.

“It does make me feel proud. I never imagined in a million years I’d get to this point. Certainly for a bowler to play this amount of games is… I don’t know what the word is… but it’s a bit mind-blowing to me because I don’t feel like I’ve played that many games. My body doesn’t feel old or tired,” Anderson said as quoted by News18.com.

The atmosphere around that ground is something you don’t experience anywhere else in the world: James Anderson

James Anderson also remarked that he has a massive appetite to play Test cricket as all he wanted to do was play the longest format and is honoured to do for so long. The right-arm seamer is back to Lord’s, where he made his Test debut and is excited to play in the venue, revealing that the atmosphere is electric.

“I absolutely love Test cricket, I’ve got a huge passion for it. Growing up, that’s all I wanted to do is play Test cricket for England and I’m honoured I’ve been able to do it for this long. Turning up to Lord’s, since I first did it in 2003…the atmosphere around that ground is something you don’t experience anywhere else in the world,” he added.

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