James Anderson

James Anderson Biography

Full name James Anderson

Born July 30, 1982, Burnley, Lancashire

Major teams England, Auckland, Lancashire, Lancashire Cricket Board

Current age 28 years 175 days
Nickname Jimmy

Playing role Bowler

Batting style Left-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Height 6 ft 2 in

Education St Theodore's RC High School; St Theodore's RC Sixth Form Centre - Burnley 

James Anderson Profile

For the first six years of James Anderson's international career, the best way to sum up his bowling was to paraphrase Mother Goose: when he's good, he's very, very good - and when he's bad he's horrid. Well, fairly horrid, anyway, because when the force was with him, he was capable of irresistible spells, seemingly able to swing the ball round corners at an impressive speed.

In 2010 however, Anderson came of age in a staggeringly comprehensive fashion. No longer content with being unplayable when the mood caught him, he took the decision to shelve the "magic balls" and concentrated on hammering out a rock-solid line and length, with dot balls and maidens his new holy grail. The upshot was a scintillating year in which he proved unhittable in every sense, with an economy rate that ramped up the pressure in every spell, and a range of weapons that made him a threat on every surface he was presented with.

A career-best 11-wicket haul against Pakistan at Trent Bridge was the prelude to a coming-of-age tour of Australia in the winter of 2010-11. Anderson arrived to a torrent of doubters, who recalled his forlorn performance on the preceding Ashes four years earlier, in which he had taken five wickets at 82.60. But he left with a series-sealing 24 scalps at 26.04, and a reputation transformed. Deadly with conventional swing and seam, and with a new line in reverse swing as well, he had become arguably the most complete fast bowler in the world.

It had been a long journey to fulfilment. Anderson had played only three one-day games for Lancashire when he was hurried into England's one-day squad in Australia in 2002-03 as cover for Andy Caddick. He didn't have a number - or even a name - on his shirt, but a remarkable ten-over stint, costing just 12 runs, in century heat at Adelaide earned him a World Cup spot. There, he produced a matchwinning spell against Pakistan before a sobering last-over disaster against Australia.

Five wickets followed in the first innings of his debut Test, against Zimbabwe at home in 2003, then a one-day hat-trick against Pakistan ... but then his fortunes waned. For a couple of years Anderson was a peripheral net bowler. A stress fracture kept him out for most of 2006, but he still made the Australian tour and the World Cup. And suddenly, in the absence of the entire Ashes-winning attack in the second half of 2007, Anderson looked the part of pack leader again.

New Zealand were blown away in Nottingham in 2008 (Anderson 7 for 43); the following May the West Indians looked clueless in Chester-le-Street (nine wickets in the match); and back at Trent Bridge in 2010 Pakistan's inexperienced batsmen could hardly lay a bat on him (5 for 54 and 6 for 17).

Anderson's left-hand batting has also steadily improved from his early days as a fully paid-up rabbit: one of his unlikelier landmarks was going 54 Test innings before collecting a duck, an England record. At Cardiff in 2009 he survived for 69 nail-chewing minutes to help stave off defeat by Australia. He is also a superb fielder.

Fast Facts

* In 2003 at the Oval, Anderson set the record as the youngest Englishman ever to take a hat-trick.

* He also became England's first player and the 15th in the world to record an ODI hat-trick.

* He is only the 17th Englishman to collect five wickets in an innings on debut.

* Anderson's is England's second-highest wicket-taker in ODI's, behind Darren Gough.

* He is the first Englishman to dismiss India's golden trio of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly in the same innings.

* Jimmy Anderson is among the top-5 leading wicket-takers for England in all formats put together.

* His haul of 5/23 against South Africa is England's 8th best performance in ODIs.

* With 10 five-wicket hauls to his name in Tests, he stands 10th among England's five-wicket haul specialists.

* His disastrous 1/86 at the end of 10 overs in an ODI at Napier against New Zealand is the second most expensive for an Englishman.

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson

James Anderson (England) - 4 Wickets for 18 Runs

James Anderson 5 Wickets vs India