Former England cricket star Anderson given knighthood

LONDON: Former England fast bowler James Anderson has been awarded a knighthood in ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak´s resignation honours list.

Anderson retired from Test cricket in July 2024 having taken 704 wickets, the most by a fast bowler in the history of the five-day format. The 42-year-old is still playing for Lancashire but has missed the start of the English County Championship season with a calf problem.

“Congratulations Sir Jimmy Anderson. This is a really well-deserved honour for an England legend who has given so much to our sport,” said Richard Thompson, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board. “His skill, determination, and sportsmanship have inspired millions of cricketers and fans alike, in England and around the world.”

The resignation honours list is a tradition that gives outgoing Prime Ministers the opportunity to nominate people for honours. Only spin bowling stars Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) took more Test wickets than Anderson.

He made his one-day international debut for England against Australia in December 2002 and his Test bow came in May 2003. Anderson finished his international career having played 188 Tests and 194 ODIs.

He was nudged into international retirement last year by England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. However, Anderson thinks he could still be playing for another three years. He has signed a one-year deal with Lancashire for the County Championship and Vitality Blast, saying: “I am not ruling out playing for another one, two or three years. We´ll see how it goes. “I could get a month in and think ´absolutely not´ but I could have a great year, we could win everything and they might want to keep me next year so we´ll just have to wait and see.”