The Barmy Army was up on its feet, singing and cheering; an emotional Michael Anderson applauded as his son walked off the pitch; the Indian fans, too, gave him a standing ovation.
Amid the cheers, music and noise, James Anderson tried his best to hide his emotions as he held the ball aloft and acknowledged the crowd, shortly after scaling Mount 700!
In the pristine conditions at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday morning, Anderson lured Kuldeep Yadav into nicking a wide delivery to the stumper Ben Foakes.
As Foakes and Joe Root - stationed at the slips - sprinted towards Anderson to celebrate the big moment, the fast bowling ace remained calm and composed, perhaps still trying to come to terms with the fact that he became the first fast bowler to claim 700 Test wickets.
It has been quite a journey for Anderson. Back in 2003, when he made it to England’s Test side for the first time, against Zimbabwe, little did he imagine that two decades later, he would be fit as a fiddle and still contribute to England cricket.
From cleaning up Zimbabwe’s Mark Vermeulen in the first Test at Lord’s to dismissing Kuldeep for his 700th - Anderson, or Jimmy as he is fondly called, has been a champion both on and off the field.
That once again came to the fore as he insisted that young Shoaib Bashir, who claimed a fifer, should go ahead of him as the team walked off the pitch.
A hesitant young Bashir waited for Anderson, and insisted that they go back together. As the two walked alongside, it made for perfect pictures and also spoke volumes about the spirit of the game.
Bashir wasn’t even born when Anderson made his debut, but the latter made it a point to appreciate the young spinner’s efforts despite reaching his personal milestone.
He not only became the third bowler to complete 700 wickets in Tests - after Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne - but also showed the world what it takes to achieve greatness with dedication and hard work.
And, age, indeed, is just a number!
Comments
SHARE