James Anderson’s historic international cricket career came to an end as England thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on the third day of the first Test at Lord’s on Friday (AEST).
Anderson, 41, bows out of the game after 188 Tests with his final wicket tally sitting on 704, giving him the record for the most taken by a fast bowler in the history of the format.
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The English star fell four wickets short of equalling Australian spin king Shane Warne for second place on the all-time wicket-taking leaderboard.
“It’s been an amazing week, been overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground,” Anderson told Sky Sports.
“I’m just proud of what I’ve achieved,” he added.
And while his place in the history books cannot be taken away, cricket fans took issue with a tweet from the official England cricket account that was published straight after the match.
In a post celebrating Anderson’s career, the Poms got under the skin of the cricket world with seven words.
“Jimmy Anderson’s opening spell. 30 balls. 29 dots. 1 wicket. Simply the greatest fast bowler in history,” they wrote.
It was the decision to label him the greatest fast bowler in history that didn’t sit well with users on X, formerly Twitter.
Telegraph Sport columnist The Oracle wrote: “In the history of English cricket … yes.”
Dean Oelschig wrote: “I get the sentiment and emotion right now, James Anderson has been a very very good bowler. His longevity is insane. But calling him the GOAT is completely incorrect in every aspect. There is no way he is the greatest of all time of anything.”
Another user wrote: “Simply the greatest fast bowler in overcast conditions history.”
A second wrote: “I get the love in with Jimmy but there are about 15 ex-bowlers I would hate to face ahead of Jimmy.”
A third simply responded: “That’s not how you spell Glenn McGrath.”
The ICC elected to play a far straighter bat in honouring Anderson by posting: “Farewell to the fast bowler with the most wickets in Test history.”
As debate raged online surrounding who the fast bowling GOAT is, England was celebrating a comfortable victory over the West Indies.
Before play started, both teams lined up outside the Pavilion to give Anderson a guard of honour, with the veteran paceman receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at the ‘Home of Cricket’ – where he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe back in 2003.
“Obviously this morning was quite emotional with the two teams lined up and the reaction from the crowd,” said Anderson.
“I’m still trying to hold back the tears now. Playing for 20-odd years is an incredible effort, especially for a fast bowler, so I’m happy I’ve made it this far. It’s the best job in the world and I’ve been privileged to be able to do it.”
The second Test between the two nations will get underway on July 18 at 8pm (AEST) from Trent Bridge.
– with AFP
Originally published as Cricket world tears England to shreds over James Anderson claim