The blob in James Anderson's illustrious Test career

James Anderson is currently playing in England’s five-match Test series against India and has been a brute force to reckon with. He had a shoulder injury prior to the red-ball fixtures, which put his chances of participation under the clouds. However, he recovered in time, much to the home team’s relief. He picked up only four wickets in the first Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

The fast-bowler came into his own and wreaked havoc in the Indian batting lineup in the second Test at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The Lancashire-born pacer picked up a five-wicket haul and notched up his 100th Test wicket at the Home of Cricket. His stupendous spell of bowling helped the Brits bowl India out for a paltry 107 runs in 35.2 overs in the first innings.

Anderson’s odd, yet unique record

Despite the numbers, the speedster has managed to add a dubious record to his name. As per BBC TMS statistician Benedict Bermange, Anderson has failed to reach double-figures with the willow in his last 25 Test innings, which is a record for England, surpassing Phil Tufnell’s 22-innings streak from 1997 to 2001. The 36-year-old is not known for his batting by any stretch of the imagination.

In 139 Tests, Anderson has scored 1137 runs at an average of 9.80. His top score of 81 came against the MS Dhoni-captained Indian team at Trent Bridge in Nottingham back in 2014. During that match, he also built a 198-run stand with Joe Root, the current English captain. Apart from that, he has scored a few 20s in his career but hasn’t quite been able to contribute frequently enough to be deemed as a decent batsman.

Nevertheless, his numbers with the leather are something worth envying. In the ongoing Test, he picked up his 550th Test wicket when he dismissed Murali Vijay, the Tamil Nadu-born right-handed batsman, for a duck in India’s second innings. India will play three more Tests at Trent Bridge, The Rose Bowl and Kennington Oval respectively.

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