1st time in 87 years, James Anderson achieves rarest of the rare feat in Test cricket

England's veteran fast bowler James Anderson has shattered an 87-year-old record as he dethroned Australian skipper Pat Cummins to become the new World no. 1 Test bowler on Wednesday. Anderson has become the oldest bowler to take the top spot in the rankings after 87 years. Anderson achieved the feat at the age of 40 years and 207 days. He broke the record of former Australian spinner Clarrie Grimmett, who was one of the finest spinners of his time. 

Anderson has been performing brilliantly in Tests for England for a period of over a decade now and his rise to the top in the latest ICC rankings has come following his seven-wicket haul against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui. Anderson picked up seven wickets in the first Test match against the Kiwis, which England won by a massive margin of 267 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match contest. 

The first time Anderson became the World No. 1 Test bowler was way back in 2016 when he was 33 years old. Back then, he dethroned his own teammate and fast-bowling partner Stuart Broad to become the World No. 1 bowler. The last time Anderson achieved the feat of becoming the World No. 1 Test bowler was in 2018. He remained in the top position for five months before being replaced by South Africa's Kagiso Rabada. 

Anderson has been playing for England since 2003 and has picked up 682 Test wickets in 178 matches. He is only behind legends like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan on the list of top wicket-takers in Test cricket. Anderson's rise to the top also means that he is the oldest fast bowler to become the World's No. 1 Test bowler. Anderson's lead looks very less as his contender Ravichandran Ashwin is just two points behind him and has a chance to overtake the English bowler after the 3rd Test against Australia.

Oldest bowlers to be ranked Test No. 1

Bert Ironmonger - 50y 10m Feb 1933

Clarrie Grimmett - 44y 2mFeb 1936

‘Tich’ Freeman - 41y 2m Jul 1929

Sydney Barnes - 40y 9mFeb 1914

James Anderson - 40y 6m Feb 2023

Image: AP