Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave James Anderson England’s highest honor by placing him in his resignation honours list for recognizing 21 years of standout cricket playing. Over 21 years the 42-year-old Lancashire bowler became the national champion with 704 Test wickets from 188 matches in a career milestone. Sachin Tendulkar appears in more Test matches than any other cricketer except Anderson.
After making his debut at Lord’s against Zimbabwe in May 2003 Anderson closed his Test career at the same venue against West Indies in July 2024. Throughout his career he has outperformed other English bowlers by collecting the most ODI wickets at 269 while bowling at an average of 29.22.
ECB president Richard Thompson commends Jimmy Anderson as a national hero of English cricket. “Sir Jimmy Anderson gained his titles from all his work in English cricket.”
Anderson continues his professional cricket career despite receiving this title. During his calf injury recovery, Anderson intends to continue playing cricket for Lancashire the same way Sir Alastair Cook did at Essex after earning his knighthood in 2019.
As captain of the England cricket team Andrew Strauss suggests that Test-era fast bowlers reaching 188 Test matches deserve knighthood status. As the top official on this list Sunak stood beside seven other peers who chose to resign during his time as prime minister.
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Anderson’s career highlights include:
- England’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 704 Test wickets
- Four Ashes series victories
- 269 ODI wickets, also an England record
- A total of 991 international wickets across all formats
