James Anderson

James Anderson (born July 30, 1982, Burnley, Lancashire, England) is a former English cricketer who represented his country in international Test matches between 2003 and 2024, One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 2002 and 2015, and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) between 2007 and 2009. He is a right-arm fast bowler and left-handed batter who has taken more than 700 wickets in Test cricket. He holds the record for most Tests played by an England player as well as the most by any fast bowler, as of August 2025. Renowned for his mastery of swing (a technique that curves the ball through the air), Anderson is considered one of the great pace bowlers of the game. The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, named after him and Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, was introduced in 2025 and is awarded to the winner of the regular bilateral Test series between England and India.

Early life and career

James Anderson was born to Michael and Catherine Anderson. He attended St Theodore’s RC High School in Burnley and played age-group cricket at the Burnley Cricket Club, one of the most historic amateur clubs in Lancashire, from a young age. Anderson also served as a scorer for the club’s second XI team, which his father captained. He tried out for the Lancashire County Cricket Club’s youth setup and was selected for the club’s second XI in 2000. He had moved up to the senior Lancashire squad by 2002 and took 50 wickets for the county team that season.

International career

Tests

Anderson took five wickets in an innings during his debut Test match at Lord’s Cricket Ground in May 2003 against Zimbabwe. Over the course of a 21-year career in which he bowled more than 40,000 deliveries, Anderson took 704 wickets in 188 matches. It is the most by any pace bowler in the history of the game and third overall, behind Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, as of August 2025.

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Anderson’s hallmark was his mastery of swing, particularly in English conditions (characterized by grass-covered pitches, humid weather, and overcast skies). His control and accuracy with the ball brought him sustained success well into his 40s. He reached his 500th Test wicket in 2017, becoming the third pace bowler to achieve that mark after Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath and West Indian quick (pace bowler) Courtney Walsh. In 2018 he surpassed McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets to become the leading wicket-taker among pace bowlers. Anderson took five wickets or more in an innings 32 times during his career. He was one of England’s premier strike bowlers, taking 15 or more wickets on 11 separate occasions in Test series against Australia, India, and South Africa. He reached the 700-wicket milestone during a match against India in Dharamshala in March 2024. He played his final Test in July that year at Lord’s, where he had made his debut in 2003, against the West Indies.

Franchise cricket

Throughout his international career, Anderson continued to play county cricket for Lancashire. He took his 1,000th wicket in first-class (domestic) cricket in 2021. After retiring from international cricket, Anderson signed a one-year contract extension with Lancashire to play during the 2025 season, taking part in the first-class county championship and T20 Vitality Blast tournament. He played his first T20 match in more than a decade in the summer of 2025. Anderson originally went undrafted for the 2025 edition of “The Hundred,” an English club cricket competition where each innings comprises 100 deliveries. He was later chosen by the Manchester Originals franchise as a wildcard pick in the final round of player selection. He had also entered the player auction for the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (franchise T20 tournament in India) but went unsigned.

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Life beyond international retirement

After playing his final international Test at Lord’s, Anderson transitioned into a role as a fast‑bowling mentor for the England national team. In April 2025 he was knighted for “services to cricket” in England Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Resignation Honours list, a tradition afforded to outgoing British premiers. Since 2017 Anderson has cohosted the popular BBC podcast Tailenders. In June 2025 the Board of Control for Cricket in India and England Cricket Board jointly instituted the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy to be awarded to the winner of future bilateral India-England Test series. It replaced the Pataudi Trophy and the Anthony De Mello Trophy, earlier awarded to the winner of bilateral series hosted by England and India, respectively. Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar were honored at the unveiling ceremony for the new trophy.