“I am obsessed with Carl Lewis at the minute” – James Anderson

James Anderson, 38, is ageing like fine wine as he continues to redefine the perceived boundaries. The English paceman recently revealed looking up to US sprint legend Carl Lewis for inspiration.

After missing the first Test against Sri Lanka, James Anderson played in the second. He immediately made a mark with a six-wicket haul to help England pull off a remarkable 2-0 series victory. Last year, he became the first fast bowler to join the 600-wicket club in Tests.

“I have done a lot of work in the gym, and I have sort of got obsessed with watching sprinters as well. I am obsessed with Carl Lewis at the minute, watching him run, but I don’t know if you can see a comparison with me chasing the ball to the boundary! I don’t see why I can’t keep improving just because I’m getting older. The more work you put in, generally this game will give you rewards, and that’s how it felt the last couple of days,” James Anderson told AAP.

With 606 Test wickets, James Anderson is 13 short of Anil Kumble’s mark. With another 14 wickets, he will be the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, a milestone he could reach during the India tour next month.

James Anderson dismisses age talks

James Anderson’s fitness and hunger have redefined his career. In the final Test against Sri Lanka, he became the oldest seamer to claim a five-for in Asia. His figures of 6 for 40 were his best figures in Asia.

30th five-wicket haul for James Anderson in Tests 🙌He now has 6️⃣0️⃣5️⃣ wickets in the format 🌟He gets Niroshan Dickwella for 92!#SLvENG pic.twitter.com/IpXvZ8nh9J

— ICC (@ICC) January 23, 2021

Dismissing talks about his age, James Anderson spoke about his eagerness to continue learning and evolving.

“Age is something that I don’t really take into account. I don’t wake up thinking, ‘right I’m 38 and however many days’. I’m thinking I’m still someone who can do a job for England and I can still win games of cricket. I still love working at my game, still love doing the fitness stuff and keeping in good shape. I feel as though I can still get quicker and that I can improve on my fitness, so I am trying to find ways of doing that,” the Lancashire paceman said.

Ahead of his fifth tour to India, Anderson has played ten Tests in the country, claiming 26 wickets at an average of 33.46.

The first Test of the upcoming India-England series starts on February 5 in Chennai