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James Anderson may have played his last Test in Asia. However, with his fitness and form, one can never say ‘never’ with Jimmy.
We may end up seeing a 40-year-old Anderson running in to open the bowling against Pakistan in Lahore or Dubai or anywhere else in Asia in the near future. Even if he doesn’t return to Asia as a bowler, Anderson has done enough to be regarded as one of the finest visiting pacers in Asian conditions.
At 38, Anderson was one of the rare bright spots in England’s dismal tour of India in 2020-21. In a series dominated by the spin bowlers, he was the most successful pacer with eight wickets at 15.87.
Anderson's career has spanned almost two decades, where has been perceived as a bowler more threatening in overcast conditions. This season, in the parched Asian conditions, he ended up nabbing 14 wickets from four Tests at 12.35.
Fast bowlers are often judged on how well they bowl in unresponsive surfaces in the subcontinent. Are Asian conditions ruthless to fast bowlers? Or, is it just a perception? Numbers tell us something else, though. The impact of pacers and spinners in Asian wickets has been similar.
Five most successful fast bowlers in Asia:
If we look at the numbers in the last fifty years, pacers and spinners have been equally effective in Asia, with both averaging around the 33-mark in Asia.
However, when we look at the numbers in the 21st century, pacers have struggled, as their overall average is three points higher than their spin bowling counterparts. That makes the contributions of Dale Steyn, James Anderson and Glenn McGrath more praiseworthy.
On that note, let's take a look at the five-most successful overseas pacers in Asia.
#5 Malcolm Marshall (West Indies)
5 tours | Span 1978-90.
19 Tests | 71 wickets | Ave 23.05 | BB 6-37 | SR 48.7 | Econ 2.83 | 5w 3.
A legend of the sport, Malcolm Marshall was effective in every condition, including Asia. He was among the prime reasons West Indies enjoyed their fabulous run of not losing a single Test series between 1980 and 1995.
West Indies avenged their 1983 World Cup final defeat against India when they toured the nation later that year.
Malcolm Marshall dismantled the Indian batting, claiming 33 wickets in the Test series, with West Indies winning it 3-0.
He also won a series against a strong Pakistan side in 1980, where he claimed 13 wickets in four Tests.
#4 Glenn McGrath (Australia)
7 tours | Span 1994-2004.
19 Tests | 72 wickets | Ave 23.02 | BB 5-66 | SR 54.8 | Econ 2.51 | 5w 1.
Glenn McGrath’s nagging accuracy and consistency with line and length puts him in the list of all-time greats.
His presence transformed an excellent Australian side to a dominant force. He played seven series in Asia, winning three of them. His economy rate of 2.51 in Asia is the best among all bowlers in the list.
In the historic India-Australia 2001 series, McGrath was the pick of the pacers with 17 wickets at 15.35.
Although Harbhajan Singh stole the show with 32 wickets in India's series win, Glenn McGrath led the bowling averages chart. Three years later, he picked up 14 wickets to help Australia reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and win a series in India for the first time in 35 years.
McGrath also played prominent roles in Australia’s series wins against Pakistan in 1998 and 2002 (in Sri Lanka and the UAE).
#3 James Anderson (England)
12 tours | Span 2003-21.
26 Tests | 74 wickets | Ave 27.67 | BB 6-40 | SR 64.8 | Econ 2.56 | 5w 2.
England’s finest moment in the 2020-21 series came in James Anderson’s over of a lifetime on the final day of the first Chennai Test.
In a stunning display of reverse-swing, he sent Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane’s stumps cartwheeling.
James Anderson’s spell proved decisive in England’s spectacular win. Though his impact waned as the series wore on, in the final Test in Ahmedabad, Anderson went past Glenn McGrath’s tally of 72 wickets in Asia.
In Asia, James Anderson was as disciplined as McGrath, and his economy rate reflects the same as well. What sets James Anderson apart, though, is his longevity. Unlike Walsh or Steyn, he hasn’t been brilliant in all his tours.
He wasn’t effective in the India tours in 2008 and 2016. He had little to do in the Sri Lanka tours of 2007 and 2018. In the rest of the tours, it was either James Anderson’s spells or his support that decided the outcome of the Tests.
James Anderson helped England level the 2006 series in India. Later in 2012-13, he played the perfect support to spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar as England won 2-1 in India.
Even on the unresponsive surfaces in the UAE, James Anderson has been a force to reckon with. With 22 wickets, he’s the most successful non-Pakistani pacer in the UAE.
Before the India tour this year, James Anderson turned the odds against Sri Lanka by shutting their hopes of a comeback and picking up a six-for.
#2 Courtney Walsh (West Indies)
6 tours | Span 1986-97.
17 Tests | 77 wickets | Ave 20.53 | BB 6-79 | SR 45.2 | Econ 2.72 | 5w 5.
Courtney Walsh played in an era of West Indies dominance, and by the time he finished, the team's decline had begun. He toured Pakistan thrice and India twice, emerging as a star in all of them.
Among his several brilliant spells in Asia, the one in the second innings in Delhi in 1987 stands out, as it helped West Indies go one up in the series. A year back, his 4 for 21 in Karachi skittled Pakistan out for 77 as West Indies levelled the series with an innings victory despite scoring just 218.
Despite his consistency, Walsh never featured in a Test series victory in Asia, though.
#1 Dale Steyn (South Africa)
11 tours | Span 2006-18.
22 Tests | 92 wickets | Ave 24.11 | BB 7-51 | SR 42.9 | Econ 3.36 | 5w 5.
Like in most conditions, Dale Steyn adapted to Asia with ease. His 7 for 51 against India in Nagpur in 2010 was a masterclass in reverse-swing bowling. Not many spells of fast bowling have been as good.
In an era where India have been invincible at home, Steyn’s brilliance helped South Africa win two Tests in India in a span of two years.
Dale Steyn’s exceptional show in Pakistan in 2007 and Sri Lanka in 2014 helped South Africa to famous wins in unfamiliar conditions too. In fact, Steyn has never featured in a lost Test series against Pakistan.
Without a doubt, Dale Steyn is arguably the greatest fast bowler in Test cricket in the 21st century and has left his footprints in tough Asian conditions too.
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