London, July 14
Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell hailed former England pace legend James Anderson after his retirement from international cricket following the first Test against West Indies, calling him as the "greatest swing bowler" in history of the sport.
Anderson ended his final Test for England with figures of 1/26 and 3/32 across both innings. After making his debut at the Lord's in 2003, Anderson ended his illustrious career with 704 Test wickets behind the iconic spin duo Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708). The star pacer got to go out on high with a win by an inning and 114 runs. In all of international cricket, Anderson brought down the curtains on his 22-year career with 991 international wickets.
In his column for ESPNCricinfo, Chapell hailed Anderson for his ability to swing the ball both ways and longevity in the game thanks to his fitness and sheer desire to play the sport despite all the happenings in his personal life, like getting married, having children etc.
"Jimmy Anderson retired as the greatest swing bowler the game has seen," said Chappell.
"There have been many other fine swing bowlers, but none have plied their skill for such a long period at the highest level. Anderson had that rare ability to swing the ball both ways with very little change to his action. Where other good bowlers gave the batter a clue with their change of arm slot, Anderson was able to produce swing both ways, minus the early warning signal.This is a remarkable skill, and it made Anderson an extremely tough opponent."
"Twenty-one years at the top is a tribute to his fitness, skill and ability to learn. There was also his desire to keep playing when big life changes, like having a wife and kids, could easily have surpassed the priority of Test cricket," he concluded his point.
Chappell said that Anderson's subtle skills became more obvious as he continued to run with his same smooth rhythm and managed to produce "probing" deliveries on line and lengths that would test the batters.
"He continued to do so no matter whether he was bowling to a right- or left-handed batter. That was another skill that set him apart from many swing bowlers - it made little difference what type of batter he was facing," he added.
Recalling his spell during the 2009 Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's during which he took four wickets, Chappell said that he and Andrew Flintoff did not produce even a single bad ball, though Australian batters Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin played them well in a losing effort as England won by 115 runs.
"It is difficult to explain how tough it is to maintain a high standard of swing bowling for an extended period," added the former Aussie legend.
Chappell also recalled facing the "prodigious swing" of England pacer Bob Massie at Lord's in 1972. The bowler went on to claim 16 wickets on his Test debut with his "sustained swing" and "unerring accuracy".
But Chappell pointed out that despite his skill, Massie played for England for just 234 days, for just six Test matches and three ODIs.
"Anderson's sustained swing bowling performance spanned 21 years and 188 Tests. That is a remarkable achievement involving skill and resilience," he added.
Chappell also recalled the pace legend's 2010-11 tour of Australia for the Ashes series, where he troubled legendary Ricky Ponting with his outswingers and took 24 wickets to mark his best tour to Australia, which played a crucial role in England getting a rare series win at Australia.
Chappell also said that tributes for Anderson have talked about not only his undoubted bowling skills, but also "his grumpiness, the changes of hairdo and his stubbornness with the bat".
"It is not surprising that he was occasionally grumpy, which resulted in the odd terse comment. Most people's patience would be severely tested if they regularly charged in to bowl only to beat the bat and receive no reward."
"Despite the occasional outburst, Anderson retained his patience, which was partly responsible for his amazing success," he concluded his point.
Chappell pointed out that even when Anderson neared the end of his career, the desire to win in his comments stood out.
"This was a crucial motivating factor in his success. England will miss Anderson, as it is difficult to replace his rare skill. Importantly, though, Anderson's career is now a celebrated one where he is recognised as the best swing bowler the game has produced," he concluded.