Pakistan white-ball captain and ace batter Babar Azam penned a wholesome note to pay tribute to exceptional pacer James Anderson, who concluded his glittering Test career on Friday.
Anderson, playing his 188th and last Test for England, bowed out with 704 wickets, the most by any pacer in the history of the format.
“It’s been an amazing week, been overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground,” Anderson told Sky Sports.
“I’m just proud of what I’ve achieved,” he added.
The right-arm pacer, who has a plethora of records to his name in the longest format of the game, received massive praise from the notable figures of the sport.
Among them was Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who said it was a privilege to face James Anderson’s cutters and called him the Greatest of All Time (GOAT).
“It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy!” wrote Babar on X, formerly Twitter.
“The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT,” he concluded with a salute emoji.
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Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi also spoke highly of James Anderson and called the 41-year-old a motivation for the emerging pacers.
“Thank you for serving this sport for over 21 years James,” wrote Shaheen.
“You have been a source of motivation to many of us. Best of luck for your journey ahead,” he added.
Another Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali, who played alongside James Anderson for Lancashire in the County Championship, congratulated the veteran on an incredible journey.
“Huge respect to [James Anderson] on an amazing test career. You were a beast on the pitch, always keeping the batters on their toes, 704 wickets is insane. Congrats on an incredible journey bhai. You’ll be missed,” wrote Hasan.
READ: Anderson gets dream farewell as England rout West Indies in Lord’s Test