I didn’t have the skill level that James Anderson has: Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath, the former Australian fast bowler, lauded James Anderson, who picked up 600 Test wickets against Pakistan in the third Test at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. On Tuesday, August 25, Anderson became the first pacer to notch the milestone and the fourth overall after Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble to get as many wickets.

Going into the second Test, Anderson said that he wasn’t happy with his performances. However, in the last two Tests, the Lancashire-born notched 10 wickets in three innings with best figures of five for 56 in the first innings of the last Test.

I didn’t have the skill level that James Anderson has, says McGrath

McGrath, who picked up 563 wickets from 124 matches, stated that he didn’t have skills similar to that of the England paceman. McGrath, popularly known as The Pigeon, said that Anderson has the ability to swing the leather both ways, making it tough for the batsmen.

“I didn’t have the skill level that Jimmy has. When he’s swinging that ball, both ways, in control, there’s no one better,” McGrath was quoted as saying by BBC.

McGrath went on to draw Anderson’s parallels with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. The retired seamer believes that like the ones of Sachin, even Anderson’s records will be tough to overhaul.

“He’s set the bar a bit like Sachin has. No one is ever going to catch Sachin in Test cricket for the amount of runs he’s scored and the matches he’s played. Jimmy’s done the same for fast bowling,” he added.

Anderson turned 38 years old, an age when most fast bowlers hang their boots from the highest level. Though he hasn’t played ODI and T20I cricket since 2015, he has remained to be a vital cog in the English Test setup after making his debut way back in 2003 against Zimbabwe.

Anderson is also on the verge of picking 1,000 wickets in first-class cricket, having picked 975 scalps. If the pacer goes on to play a few more Tests, he has a fair chance of passing former Indian spinner Kumble’s tally of 619 wickets.