James Anderson Bids Farewell: Reflecting On Teammates' Ages At His Debut

James Anderson, England's legendary bowler, is playing his final Test match against the West Indies at Lord's. The iconic seam bowler took to the field for his last game on July 10.

When James Anderson began his Test career, many of his current teammates were just children. Some were not even born yet. Let's look at where England's active Test players were when Anderson made his debut.

Zak Crawley was only five years old when Anderson debuted in 2003. Crawley made his own Test debut in 2019 and has since scored 2687 runs in 45 Tests, including four centuries and one double century.

Ben Duckett was eight years old at that time. He debuted against Bangladesh in 2016 and has played across all formats for England. Duckett has accumulated 1467 runs in 21 Tests, with three centuries and seven fifties.

Joe Root, who was twelve years old during Anderson's debut, has become one of England's best batters. Root made his Test debut in 2012 and has scored 11,804 runs, including 31 centuries and five double centuries.

Chris Woakes was fourteen when Anderson started his career. Known for his swing bowling and lower-order batting, Woakes debuted against Australia in 2013. He has scored 1777 runs and taken 150 wickets in 49 Tests.

Younger Generation

Shoaib Bashir wasn't born when Anderson made his debut. The young off-break bowler debuted against India in February 2024 and has taken 17 wickets in four Tests, including two five-wicket hauls.

Jamie Smith was just two years old when Anderson started playing Tests. The wicketkeeper-batsman from Epsom debuted against the West Indies in 2024 after rising through age-group cricket ranks.

Promising Talents

Harry Brook was five years old during Anderson's debut. Known for aggressive stroke play, Brook debuted against South Africa in 2022 and has scored 1231 runs in 13 Tests with four centuries.

Gus Atkinson also five years old then, plays for Surrey domestically and England internationally. Atkinson had a dream debut against the West Indies in 2024 with figures of 7/45 in the first innings.

All-Rounders

Ben Stokes was eleven years old when Anderson began his career. Stokes is known as one of the world's premier all-rounders with match-winning abilities both with bat and ball. He has scored 6320 runs and taken 201 wickets in Tests.

The veteran paceman opened his account by dismissing Jayden Seales leg before wicket before bowling out captain Kraigg Brathwaite by disturbing his stumps.

A Glorious Career

In a career spanning over two decades, James Anderson has been a pillar of England's Test cricket history with a record of taking the most wickets by a seam bowler—702 wickets to date. Born in Burnley, he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003.

"It's been an incredible journey," said Anderson about his long career filled with memorable moments and achievements on the field.