Cricket: James Anderson surpasses Alastair Cook to become most capped England Test player
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England pacer James Anderson on Thursday surpassed former England captain Alastair Cook’s iconic landmark of playing most Test matches for England. As soon as Anderson was named in the playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston, the veteran pacer became the most capped Test player more England in what comes as another feather in his cap.
England pacer James Anderson on Thursday surpassed former England captain Alastair Cook’s iconic landmark of playing most Test matches for England. As soon as Anderson was named in the playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston, the veteran pacer became the most capped Test player more England in what comes as another feather in his cap.
Before the second Test, both Anderson and Cook had played 161 Test matches for England, most for any English player in the history of the longest format of the game, however, the veteran pacer surpassed Cook to take the record home.
Since his debut in 2002 against Zimbabwe, Anderson has played 161 Test matches. Anderson is currently the sixth-ranked bowler in the ICC Test bowling rankings.
The veteran England pacer averages a staggering 26.46 in Test cricket. He has also represented England in 194 ODI matches for his country while taking another 269 wickets at an average of 29.22. He also became the first pacer in the world to touch the 600-wicket landmark in Test cricket.
Most Test matches for England:
- James Anderson - 162
- Alastair Cook - 161
- Stuart Broad - 147
- Alec Stewart - 133
- Ian Bell – 118
Meanwhile, England have played the troika of Stuart Broad, Anderson and Mark Wood while Olly Stone replaces Ollie Robinson, who has been suspended from international cricket (pending investigation) over his racist and sexist historical tweets.
Whereas, New Zealand have made six changes into the playing XI with the likes of Will Young, Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel and Trent Boult ready to take the field for the Black Caps.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell(w), Daryl Mitchell, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult
England (Playing XI): Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root(c), Ollie Pope, Daniel Lawrence, James Bracey(w), Olly Stone, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson