James Anderson backed to set unassailable Test record as England great continues to go from strength to strength
Glenn McGrath took 563 Test wickets in his career but Shane Bond believes Anderson will be looking to post a target that’s unassailable for any Test seamer in the future
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Your support makes all the difference.This weekend could prove to be a red-letter one for a bowler Shane Bond remembers more for his hair than his bowling when the pair first came across each other on the international stage.
Given a fair wind on the south coast, Jimmy Anderson could overtake Glenn McGrath as the leading fast bowling Test wicket taker of all-time during the crucial fourth Test against India.
The Aussie great took 563 Test wickets in his career – a tally that Anderson finds himself just six short of as England try to mount their comeback at the Ageas Bowl.
Bond spent the winter working with Anderson as England’s fast bowling coach during an otherwise disastrous Ashes campaign Down Under.
And the New Zealander saw enough of England’s spearhead to know that he won’t be content with simply getting past McGrath’s figure of 563 Test wickets.
He believes Anderson will be looking to post a target that’s unassailable for any Test seamer in the future.
“He made me feel old - I remember playing back in the day when he had red hair and all that kind of stuff,” says Bond. “What an amazing bowler – we spoke a little bit about the wickets and where he was going and I know that Glenn’s total was something that was motivating him.
“Just watching and talking to him and building a relationship with him was great during the Ashes. It was good to get to the point when the banter was flying around. I’ve really enjoyed over the last three Test matches (against India) watching him do what he was done for a long time.
“To get past Glenn McGrath, to get to where he is and to still be bowling as well as he is is remarkable. Full credit to him, he works bloody hard and I’m looking forward to him ticking that one off and then going on. He’ll have other targets on his mind once that’s done.”
McGrath posted his final tally in 124 Tests – 17 fewer than Anderson has currently played – but the remarkable thing about England’s bowling talisman is that he appears to be improving rather than diminishing with every passing year.
Anderson took 55 wickets at a cost of just 17 in 2017 and the Lancastrian has already captured 17 Indian scalps at an average of 14 so far this summer.
It’s also worth remembering that after making his Test bow in May 2003, Anderson was unable to nail down his place in the England Test side consistently for another five years.
McGrath, meanwhile, was a virtual ever-present for Australia over the course of his Test career.
“The thing about Jimmy is that he’s incredibly skilled and incredibly accurate,” says Bond. “It’s a simple game and if you’re accurate for long enough then you have a reasonable chance of success.
“Add to that the fact that he can swing the ball both ways and bowl at a reasonable clip makes him a nightmare to face, particularly in the conditions they’re playing in at the moment.
“It’s remarkable, not just the Test matches he has played but the job he does in that fast bowling role all over the world. I’ve really enjoyed watching Jimmy and I’m looking forward to him breaking that record.”
Anderson was the standout bowler for England against Australia last winter as the likes of Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes struggled to make an impact against a side that boasted more far more fire power than Joe Root’s men.
Both Anderson and Broad will hope to put that right against Australia next summer.
The main challenge facing England over the long-term, though, will be to replace them when the pair exit the international stage.
“It’s going to be very tough,” says Bond.
“For any team in the world, as Australia found in recent times, you take your two best fast bowlers out of any team and it’s pretty tough to replace them. We’ve had (Trent) Boult and (Tim) Southee here for a long time and the Aussies have had (Mitchell) Starc and (Josh) Hazlewood.
“You take those blokes out of the team and its not the same team. It will be the same when Stu (Broad) and Jimmy go. They’ve been around so long and they’ve been such great performers but it will come to an end at some point.
“You’re looking at well over a thousand wickets between them probably by the time they call it a day. Finding two others to even come close to that is going to be incredibly hard.”
For the moment that search can wait, particularly with both in the form they’re currently in.
The champagne is on ice for Anderson. Bond and the rest of the fast bowling fraternity are ready to raise a glass to him.
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