Jimmy Anderson deserves a few statues – Phil Tufnell

Jimmy Anderson.England.PA_

Phil Tufnell believes Jimmy Anderson ‘deserves a few statues’ after planting himself at the heart of the debate over who should be recognised as England’s greatest cricketer of all-time.

Speaking exclusively Cricket365 as the BBC launched their coverage of the new cricket competition The Hundred, which will get underway next month, former England spinner Tufnell suggested Anderson’s achievement of taking more than 600 wickets in Test matches is a statistic that is hard to match.

Statues for Jimmy Anderson

“They’ve named a stand after his at Old Trafford and there will be a few statutes going up as well for Jimmy,” suggested Tufnell. 

“I remember commentating on him in his first Test match… yes I have been behind a microphone for that long! 

“He was still swinging the ball around corners back then, but what we have seen from him over the course of his career is an evolution of a bowler who has developed his game on so many levels.

“It is a testament to his skill, dedication, adaptability and the way he has looked after himself that he is still going strong at the age of 38. Even now, he is one of the best swing bowlers in the world and it’s always fascinating to watch him in action.

“It’s always difficult to compare generation and say he is better than (Ian) Botham or should be ranked higher than some of the best players England have had, but he is certainly up there among the all-time greats.”

Irreplaceable quicks

Tufnell admitted life after Anderson and his long-time England bowling sidekick Stuart Broad will be tough to get used to, but he believes the next generation can learn from the two legendary veterans.

“If I was one of the England bowlers in that dressing room, I’d hang around Anderson and Broad and take everything I can from them,” he added. 

“England have some great bowlers coming through and someone like Jofra Archer can look at Anderson and everything he has achieved in the game and learn from how he goes about it. 

“I like the array of bowlers we have coming through for England and there is a lot of quality in there, but the day we saw farewell to Anderson and Broad will be a momentous moment in English cricket and it’s coming soon.”

The Hundred will be on BBC Two, radio and online from Wednesday 21 July

Written by Kevin Palmer

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