Brian Lara calls this pacer the ‘greatest ever to play’

West Indies legend Brian Lara heaped high praise on retiring England veteran James Anderson, calling him the greatest pacer ever to grace the field.

41-year-old Anderson will play his last Test match against West Indies, starting on July 10, at the iconic Lord’s, the same venue where he made his debut 21 years ago against Zimbabwe.

Lara, while talking about Anderson’s career, lauded the veteran pacer and acknowledged his legacy as the greatest among all the pace bowlers.

“He is the greatest fast bowler that has ever played the game. His numbers are incredible, and he has served England well. I know he did not have that in mind (retiring from cricket), but I think he has accepted it. If that is the choice of his captain, coach, and selectors, then so be it,” Lara said.

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“He has had a tremendous career for England. There are not many England cricketers who come close to Anderson (when asked about Anderson’s legacy). He has taken the most Test wickets as a fast bowler and had a career that lasted for over 23 years.”

Brian Lara name-dropped his fellow countryman Courtney Walsh as the only fast bowler, who is nearly as great as James Anderson.

“I think only Courtney Walsh comes close to him in terms of the number of years he has played, but his legacy is going to be tremendous, and I think as an English cricketer, he has the respect of the world.”

For the unversed, Anderson is the only pacer in history to take more than 700 Test wickets. He achieved the milestone during England’s fifth away Test against India, in March this year.

He is also the third in the list of players with the most Test wickets, only behind spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) of Sri Lanka and the late Shane Warne (708 wickets) of Australia.

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