Keeping hunger alive and chasing new milestones, James Anderson refuses to fade away

England fast bowler James Anderson is all set to appear in his 132nd Test match. With this, he will equal Courtney Walsh, the legendary fast bowler from West Indies, in the number of Test appearances. The Caribbean great played 132 Tests in his career spanning 17 years and three calendar decades.

Interestingly enough, Walsh had picked up 513 scalps by the time he stepped onto the field for his 132nd Test while Jimmy has 514, just one more. If Anderson can pick up a five-wicket haul in the upcoming Perth Test, he will equal the Caribbean giant in terms of the number of wickets taken as well.

I am a great fan of Test cricket and I follow the numbers of successful cricketers. Though I have followed Anderson's progress since his debut, I delved deeper into his numbers only after he touched 260 wickets in 70 Tests. I remember him reaching 299 in his 80th Test, 382 in his 99th Test and now 514 after his 131st Test.

The pattern I have noticed is that he maintains an average of four wickets per match. His bowling average too has seen a major improvement in the last 3-4 years, dipping below the 28 mark.

But more than the numbers he has racked up, what impresses me most about Anderson is his approach to cricket. His hunger to play more Tests and desire to get more wickets have made him the most successful bowler for England. In an interview I read last year, he had expressed his desire to play for 2-3 more years and close in on Glenn McGrath's tally of wickets (563). To support his case, he came up with a strong performance in the recently concluded English season, scalping 39 wickets in seven Tests. In the process, he became the 3rd fast bowler and 6th overall to cross the 500-wicket mark, joining all-time greats - Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, McGrath and Walsh.

But he is 35 now. In most cases, fast bowlers struggle to maintain the same pace, agility and variety in their bowling once they hit their mid-30s. Though Anderson has maintained his fitness, one bad series will ensure the critics call for his head. In the run-up to Ashes 2017-18, a lot was spoken about Anderson's performance when he last visited the country in 2013-14. He was able to get only 14 wickets in five Tests at an average above 43. The current series didn't start on a good note for him either as he took just two wickets in the first Test. To add to his woes, he managed to take just one wicket in the first innings of the second Test at Adelaide.

The Australian batsmen piled up 442 runs and their bowlers then reduced England to a meager 227. With a 215-run lead, Australia would have looked to pile up a mammoth total with quick runs in their second innings. But battle-hardened Anderson had other ideas. He bowled his heart out, ripping through the top and middle orders of the Australian batting, and earned his first five-wicket haul in Australia, giving away just 43 runs.

Chasing an extremely difficult target of 354, the English batsmen were bundled out for 233, losing the match by 120 runs. Although Jimmy's second innings heroics went in vain, he was successful in silencing the critics.

Anderson silenced his critics with a breathtaking spell in the second innings at Adelaide

Come December 14, when Jimmy gets into his stride in the Perth Test for his first delivery, I am sure the milestone will inspire him. All the best Jimmy Anderson!