Former England captain defends James Anderson, hits back at critics of 40-year-old veteran

Veteran English cricket team pacer James Anderson returned to the team for the fourth Ashes 2023 Test against Australia after being dropped in the third match due to average performance in the series so far. Anderson has bowled at an average of 75.33 and gave away 226 runs in the first two Tests. The right-handed pacer only picked up three wickets and failed to generate swing and movement. 

3 things you need to know 

• James Anderson's form in the ongoing Ashes 2023 series against Australia has come under the scanner 
• The veteran has only managed to pick four wickets across five Ashes 2023 innings 
• The English pacer has taken over 600 Test wickets and is one of the finest bowlers in the modern-day cricket 

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Nasser Hussain unhappy with James Anderson's criticism

(English pacer James Anderson during the press conference in the PAK vs ENG Test series in December 2022 / Image: AP) 

Former English cricket team skipper Nasser Hussain has come in defence of the 40-year-old England pacer James Anderson and has hit back at his critics. Hussain while speaking on Sky Sports highlighted the fact that Anderson was the number one Test bowler three months ago and also laughed at the sudden change in the narrative. 

I think we send some of our cricketers into retirement too soon. Three months ago Anderson was the No 1 bowler in the world and he is unbelievably good. We should keep hold of him as long as we can. 

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Nasser Hussain highlights Mark Wood's impact in the Ashes 2023 

The former England skipper also praised English pacer Mark Wood and said that he has changed the whole momentum of the series since he was included in the third Test. 

Heart and character are important. When England were at their lowest point, 2-0 down, you could not think of a better man to come in than Wood. I had someone like that in Darren Gough and I think Wood is exactly the same.

The English cricket team was 2-0 down in the five-match series and Wood was included in the team in place of James Anderson. The speedster picked up a total of seven wickets in the Headingley Test and also played an important role in the team's three-wicket win.