Anderson made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003 and went on to earn 188 Test caps, an England record. Globally, he ranks second only to India’s Sachin Tendulkar (200 Tests) for the most appearances in the format
England’s record Test wicket-taker, James Anderson, is set to be awarded a knighthood, having been named in former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list. Anderson is the only sportsperson to be given the prestigious honour this time. He was previously awarded an OBE by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace in 2016.
Anderson retired from international cricket following England’s emphatic innings and 114-run win over the West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s in July 2024, where he claimed four wickets across two innings. His decision to retire came after England head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes indicated a desire to build a bowling attack for the future.
The 41-year-old ended his red-ball career with 704 wickets for England — the highest tally for a fast bowler and third-highest overall in Test history, behind only Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia’s Shane Warne (708).
Anderson made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003 and went on to earn 188 Test caps, an England record. Globally, he ranks second only to India’s Sachin Tendulkar (200 Tests) for the most appearances in the format. In addition to his Test exploits, Anderson also played 194 ODIs, taking 269 wickets — the most by an England player in the 50-over format — and featured in 19 T20Is before becoming a Test specialist from 2015 onward.
Despite retiring from international cricket, Anderson remains active in the domestic scene. He is currently signed to play for Lancashire this summer. Having made his Lancashire debut in white-ball cricket in 2000 and in red-ball in 2002, Anderson has accumulated an impressive 1,114 first-class wickets, along with 358 wickets in List A matches and 41 wickets in T20s.
