‘Perfection sets him apart’ - Sir Alastair Cook, Steven Finn discuss James Anderson ‘greatness’ after landmark wicket
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Updated 09/03/2024 at 08:59 GMT
Sir Alastair Cook and Steven Finn lauded England’s James Anderson after he struck his 700th Test wicket against India in Dharamshala on Saturday. The pair discussed their former team-mate's “greatness” and how he strives for perfection as he became the third bowler in history to reach the number, and first pace bowler ever. “We always saw a serious amount of potential,” Cook told TNT Sports.
DHARAMSALA, INDIA - MARCH 08: James Anderson of England during day two of the 5th Test Match between India and England at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on March 08, 2024 in Dharamsala, India. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Image credit: Eurosport
Former England internationals Sir Alastair Cook and Steven Finn have reflected on James Anderson’s “greatness” after he claimed his 700th wicket in Test cricket against India.
Anderson achieved the feat on day three of the fifth Test in Dharamshala as he dismissed Kuldeep Yadav, who edged the veteran behind.
The seam bowler already holds the record for taking the most number of wickets against India in Test matches and has now become only the third bowler in history to claim 700 wickets, behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.
Anderson has also become the first pace bowler to reach the milestone.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Cook and Finn discussed what sets their former team-mate apart from the rest and reflected on when they truly recognised the England legend’s brilliance.
“We always saw a serious amount of potential,” Cook explained. “In 2003, I was a kid watching him play. Bowling 90mph swings, that’s different, that’s different for everyone.
“The greatness came when he honed his skills in 2010 when he went away. Everyone was saying 'you can only bowl in England when it swings'. His record in the sub-continent is phenomenal, and his record in Australia is phenomenal because he has learned how to do it.
“I’d be interested to know what his stats are from 200 wickets onwards because they will be great.”
“Those numbers would be staggering,” Finn added, who described Anderson as always striving for “perfection.”
“He always made you feel awful as a bowler,” he said. “I remember a game against Sri Lanka in 2016, I was fielding mid-off and you always get a sense of how a bowler is feeling through a spell.
“He was bowling beautiful line and length, beating the edge, and he bowls one short and wide ball. It was the only bad ball in that spell and he was disgusted with himself. You could see that he was appalled he had bowled this one bad ball.
“It’s that perfection and the attention to detail and that attention to always making sure he was mentally on it to be able to deliver his skill, that is what sets him apart.”
Finn also praised Anderson's longevity, which has seen the 41-year-old play 187 Test matches since 2003.
“To play as many Test matches as he has managed to. He looks in fine fettle, he looks in as good a physical condition,” he said.
“He’s in fine nick physically, his pace hasn’t dropped. He’s not lost that zip or that bite off the surface that sometimes you do as a bowler. It’s truly remarkable.”
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