James Anderson has defied age and set new records in Test cricket. The veteran England fast bowler recently became the oldest cricketer to scalp a five-wicket haul in the longest format of the game. Looking at his fitness, it goes without saying that Anderson has a few more Test matches left in him.
Fans should note that James Anderson made his international debut back in 2002. It was in an ODI match against the Australian cricket team. While he no longer plays white-ball cricket now, he has been the cornerstone of England’s pace-bowling attack in red-ball cricket for many years.
Interestingly, the following two players from Test-playing countries were not born when Anderson donned the England jersey for the first time. Here’s a list of those two names:
1. Noor Ahmad was born two years after James Anderson made his debut
Afghanistan cricket team’s left-arm wrist spin bowler Noor Ahmad is one of the youngest active cricketers right now. The 17-year-old was born on January 3, 2005.
He made his debut earlier this year in a T20I against the Zimbabwe cricket team, where he returned with a four-wicket haul. Notably, Ahmad also won IPL 2022 with the Gujarat Titans franchise.
2. Naseem Shah
Current Pakistan fast-bowler Naseem Shah was born on February 15, 2003. He was born a few months after Anderson donned the England cricket team’s jersey for the first time in his career.
Thus far, Shah has played 11 Test matches for the Pakistan cricket team, where he has picked up 26 wickets. His best bowling figures are 5/31. Fans should note that in August 2020, when Pakistan toured England for a three-match ICC World Test Championship series, Naseem Shah played against James Anderson.
In fact, Anderson dismissed Naseem in one of the matches of that series in Southampton. It shows the longevity of Anderson’s career that he dismissed a player who was not born when he made his debut.
