22nd of May 2003, something magical was about to happen, a young bowler from Burnley was drafted into the playing eleven for his debut at Lords, and boy he did not disappoint. 17 balls into his spell he goes past the bat of Mark Vermeulen to hit the timber and marked the first of 704 test wickets to follow in his career.

There are many things to celebrate in James Anderson's 22-year-long career- 991 International wickets, the contribution of 81 runs with the bat against India (which he dearly cherishes), most wickets by a fast bowler in test cricket but most importantly is to remain the top-drawer bowler for his side. There are not many players in sports history who still were the leader of the pack when they bid adieu to the game. 

It's just not the skill that made him last longer than anybody else but also the hunger and determination to learn, evolve, and know about his game down to the last detail. From mastering the wobble ball to keep batsmen guessing rather than straight seam or shortening his runup so that he could bowl overs in the Indian subcontinent or tweaking his bowling action to be as compact as possible for the minimum strain on the body he has done it all to be on the top of his game.

What results in that desire to improve every moment is the 437 wickets he has scalped after he turned 30 as well as most test matches played after he reached the 30-year milestone in life with training, doing the drills, and keeping the body fit for the next assignment one after the another to the point he was almost forced into retirement by English cricket cause they want to build a bowling attack for the Ashes down under.

What to learn from the bowling talisman is the need to be fit and be on par with the demands of the game, knowing the limitations of one's body and working on it to squeeze the best out of it. He is the understated pioneer of evolving fitness in the game, how much a body can be pushed to achieve excellence.

Now that he is done, there is a700 odd wickets-sized boots to fill for English cricket, who knows someone better might come than him, but he will always remain the colossal benchmark.

Thank you, James Michael Anderson, it was wonderful to see you on the field. -A Fan 

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