England speedster James Anderson has already achieved legendary status. Despite being 40 years of age, the fast bowler is ageing like a fine wine and has worked hard on his fitness to be able to continue to make an impact 20 years after he played his first Test match. And now in a fresh development, Anderson has made a record that might just stay unbroken for a long period of time. At 40 years and 6 months of age, the Three Lions' quick regained the world number 1 ranking in Test match cricket.
Anderson overtook Australian skipper Pat Cummins and Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to get to the number 1 position in the sport's longest format. He got to that ranking on the back of his seven-wicket haul in England's 267-run victory over New Zealand in Mount Maunganui last week. However, that meant an end of Cummins' four-year reign as the top-ranked bowler in Test match cricket.
This is the sixth time in Anderson's two-decade long career that he has become the top-ranked Test bowler. Anderson is third on the all-time list for Test wickets and the pacer with the most number of Test scalps to his credit with a total of 682 Test wickets only behind the legendary spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne who have 800 and 708 Test wickets respectively.
But perhaps the most remarkable record that Anderson has shattered is that the 40 years and 207 days old became the oldest since 1936 to top the bowlers' ranking in Test match cricket. Australia's Clarrie Grimmett achieved the feat back then when he was aged 44 years and 2 months.
Bert Ironmonger remains the oldest cricketer to be ranked the number 1 Test bowler as the Australian slow left-arm orthodox had become the number 1 bowler aged 50 years and 10 months in February 1933. England's ‘Tich’ Freeman, aged 41 years 2 months in July 1929 and his compatriot Sydney Barnes, aged 40 years and 9 months in February 1914 are the only cricketers older than Anderson to have ever reached the number 1 Test bowlers' ranking.
While Cummins has dropped to the second position, he could be back at the helm if he produces some game-changing spells in the remaining Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ashwin too will be in with a chance to rise higher in the rankings.