GEORGE DOBELL AT LORD'S: To put it in perspective, it's more than 60 years since England picked a Test side containing a specialist seamer in their 40s - the likes of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook all made their Test debuts after Anderson
James Anderson doesn't feature on the list of seven wonders of the ancient world but really, perhaps he should?
He's a bit younger than the great pyramid at Giza or the hanging gardens of Babylon, of course. But then how many overs did they bowl?
The point is: in the next few days, barring a late injury setback, James Anderson will at the age of 40, take the new ball in a Test at Lord's.
It's a ridiculous statistic. A reflection of Anderson's extraordinary professionalism, of course, and the action which puts so little effort into the lithe frame which has delivered more deliveries than any seamer in Test history. While a host of young bowlers – Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Olly Stone et al – are out with injuries, he just keeps on keeping on. A modern day miracle, unappreciated a little, perhaps, because we have become inured by familiarity. In a hundred years, they will still be talking about him. You suspect Anderson reckons there's half a chance that they'll still be watching him.
To put it in perspective, it's more than 60 years since England picked a Test side containing a specialist seamer in their 40s. On that occasion, Les Jackson – a fast bowler who surely would have played far more had he represented a more fashionable county than Derbyshire – claimed four wickets in the match. The last time England picked anyone over 40 in their Test team was Alec Stewart, in 2003, and the last time a 40-year-old took a wicket for them was in 1994. On that occasion, Graham Gooch took the last of his 23 Test victims in dismissing Michael Slater for 176 in Brisbane.
The likes of Ed Smith, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook all made their Test debuts after Anderson. Two of them have had the time to take high-end administrative positions within the game. Two of them have had time to be knighted.
Anderson's bowled through wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a recession, a pandemic and five Prime Ministers in a Test career that started before the first professional T20 match.
And he still seems to be improving. He's taken 389 Test wickets (at a cost of 23.60) since his 30th birthday and 177 Test wickets (at 21.39) since his 35th. Whichever way you want to look at it, really, those are ridiculous statistics.
Anderson is preparing to become England's first 40-year-old seamer since Les Jackson, more than 60 years ago (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
"I feel I'm constantly getting better," he says now. "Everyone gets better with experience, no matter what walk of life you're in. I keep working on stuff. I keep playing around with seam positions. I'm still finding different balls to bowl, trying to disguise things a bit more so people can't see the swing or whatever it may be.
"I feel maybe my body can deal with it better now that it could when I was 20 or 21. Yes, I feel sore after a day in the field, but everyone does. I did when I was 21; I do now. But you come back the next day and crack on. I know my body can deal with it."
Lots of people love playing for England, of course. What they do not love is the preparation. The months of monotonous gym work. The inevitable lonesome rehab sessions. The creaks and groans and pain and aches. He surely doesn't need the money. And he surely doesn't need to worry about his status as a great of the game. It has long since been assured.
So, what is it that keeps Anderson going? Ultimately, it's love. Love of the challenge, the sport and the camaraderie of the dressing room. There have been plenty of tough days along the way, but it's the "love for the game" that keeps him coming back for more.
"I do feel proud," he says when considering the latest milestone in a career littered with the things. "But I feel fortunate as well that I've still got the love for the game. I've still got the desire to get better and do the training and the nets and whatever else comes with it. With a lot of people that's the first thing that goes and that's when you start winding down. But that passion is still there for me. I'm fortunate that my body's still functioning properly and allowing me to do the job that I love."
The closest he has come to retirement, he says, is when injuries have intervened. There was a period around 2019, in particular, when a calf injury took a lot longer to heal than anticipated. "I did have to think about whether I wanted to do it again," he says. "But fortunately the people around me – my family and friends, the lads in the dressing room and the medical teams – all helped me stay on track.
"Besides, when I'm fit, I love every minute of it. Even when it's hard and we're up against it. It's an amazing game to play. There's nothing better than Test cricket for me so I will do that for as long as I possibly can."
Anderson has been reinvigorated by Brendon McCullum's arrival as head coach of England's Test team (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
It remains just about possible that Stuart Broad, aged 36 and likely to line-up alongside Anderson again this week, will also play until he's 40. But as Trent Boult's decision to decline a New Zealand central contract recently reminded us, modern cricketers can earn more and work less hard than Anderson. Anderson, it might be noted, has bowled more deliveries in Test cricket than any seamer in history. He admits he could be the last of his kind.
"Maybe Broady [could play until he's 40] but definitely nobody after that because no one will be stupid enough," he says. "With everything that has happened in the world of franchise cricket, I can't see anyone wanting to play Test cricket for this long.
"I can definitely see it – players prioritising short formats – happening more. The easiest thing to do for bowlers is bowl four overs or 20 balls. It takes nothing out of you. And if you're getting paid just as well it probably makes sense. It will tempt more people than not.
"But it does make me sad, because Test cricket will probably bear the brunt of it."
For all those reasons and more, he is relishing the attitude of the current England Test squad. Not only has it renewed the enthusiasm of a player who, by the end of the Ashes tour, looked more than a little disillusioned but it has renewed the enthusiasm of a general public who could be forgiven for wearying a little at the price tag their team demanded and the performances that accompanied it.
"Those four Tests earlier in the summer were incredible," Anderson says. "Obviously what we did on the field was great, but the energy in the dressing room was brilliant. I felt as happy as I have done in an England dressing room for number of years, so the last five weeks I've just been itching to get back in there. The captain and coach have done an amazing job of getting people hungry to play and feeling really good about themselves.
Anderson took six wickets in his last Test appearance (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
"From my point of view as a Test specialist I see a massive responsibility to promote the game and show everybody it's an entertaining format.
"I don't have any personal goals. I just want to enjoy keep enjoying my cricket. I felt really invigorated. I loved that. I loved buying into that. I love the sort of aggressive nature of it and looking forward to being a part of that going forward."
Judging from training on Monday, the England attack will feature Matthew Potts alongside Anderson and Broad, with Jack Leach offering the spin option. Ben Stokes may well have to offer some seam bowling support but these days bowls very little in training sessions ahead of games. Ollie Robinson is finding, like a generation of seamers before him, that he may have to wait a while for his opportunity. Anderson may be required to put in a fair shift.
He might have a little encouragement from the Dukes ball, though. After a season in which we have never been far from a complaint about the balls going out of shape, there is hope that a fresh batch has fixed the issue. Reports from the Lions match suggest the new balls remain harder and retain their shape for longer. For a 40-year-old embarking on back-to-back Tests in a heatwave, it might be just the news he requires.
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