James Anderson ranked as best Test bowler at age of 40

• James Anderson was ranked as the best Test bowler at age of 40.
• It is Anderson’s sixth time being ranked as the best Test bowler.
• The right-arm pacer first attained the pinnacle in May 2016.

England pacer James Anderson beat 40-year-old Australian pacer Pat Cummins to take the top spot in the most recent ICC Men’s Test Rankings.

It is Anderson’s sixth time being ranked as the best Test bowler by the ICC.

On the strength of his seven wickets in their resounding 267-run victory over New Zealand last week in Mount Maunganui, Anderson earned the top slot. The Australian Test captain’s four-year era as the top Test bowler came to an end thanks to the swing king.

The right-arm pacer first attained the pinnacle in May 2016 when, in a brilliant international career that began far back in 2003, he outranked both Stuart Broad and R Ashwin of India.

For five months in 2018, Anderson held the top position before handing it over to South African pacer Kagiso Rabada in November.

With England having won 10 of their previous 11 Test matches under new coach Brendon McCullum, Anderson has found fresh life.

The majority of those victories were greatly aided by the veteran. The experienced English spinner is also third in Test wickets with 682, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne (800).

Anderson’s climb to the top at the age of 40 years and 207 days also made him the oldest bowler to do so since Aussie legend Clarrie Grimmett accomplished it in 1936.

Anderson’s lead at the top is, however, rather shaky due to Indian spinner Ashwin, who is only two rating points behind the England bowler in second place with a total of 864 rating points.

Cummins drops to third with 858 rating points but could move back up if he performs well for Australia in the on-going four-match series against India. Cummins’ team, however, hasn’t been at their best, losing the first two games.

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