‘Sense of immortality’: Bishop’s special praise for ageless Anderson

Former cricketers Stuart Broad and Ian Bishop, who witnessed James Anderson’s last outing with the red ball for England at the Lord’s, lavished praise on the ageless seamer for the legacy that he left behind after playing his final game in the international circuit.

Broad was Anderson’s partner in crime for years before he decided to bring the curtains down on his career in 2023.

The 38-year-old was present at the Lord’s where Anderson took over the iconic stadium, making fans experience jitters and ecstasy at the same time.

For Broad, there was no difference in the way the 41-year-old bowled and contributed to England’s success yet again.

“Watching him this week, how I felt is he still looks as good as ever, and it’s such a nice way to finish and walk off the field, knowing you can still do it. It was wonderful to see him still do what he’s done for 188 Test matches and walk off with a victory,” Broad told Sky Sports.

The final Test didn’t turn out to be a wicket-taking fest for Anderson, but Broad feels it was always about the moments after winning the Test for the 41-year-old rather than scalps.

“Regardless of the wickets and the amount he’s played, to Jimmy, it’s always been about those moments in the changing room of winning a Test match with the group of people you’re with. For him, looking back now as a former Test cricketer, the games he’s won have been outstanding. To win his last Test match is incredible,” Broad added.

Former West Indies quick Ian Bishop pointed out Anderson’s remarkable wicket haul and the way he shifted paradigms and dimensions for fast bowlers.

“There are so many things we’ve already talked about like his longevity and his fitness. He’s gone where no fast bowler has gone before in terms of wickets, but from a skill perspective, the ability to swing the ball and be consistent with his length, the art of evolving over 20 years… I think he’s shifted the thinking in the game,” Bishop told Sky Sports.

“He has shifted paradigms and dimensions for fast bowlers. This a sense of immortality here for James Anderson,” he added.

He ended his final Test for England with figures of 1/26 and 3/32 across both innings. After making his debut at the Lord’s in 2003, Anderson ended his illustrious career with 704 Test wickets behind the iconic spin duo Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne .