England great James Anderson made his final Test appearance against the West Indies at Lord's last week. He ended his two-decade long Test career that began at the same venue against Zimbabwe in 2003. Getty Images
England great James Anderson made his final Test appearance against the West Indies at Lord's last week. He ended his two-decade long Test career that began at the same venue against Zimbabwe in 2003. Getty Images
James Anderson is presented with his 150th Test cap by former England captain Nasser Hussain in Centurion. Hussain was the captain when Anderson made his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord's in May 2003. Getty Images
James Anderson is presented with his 150th Test cap by former England captain Nasser Hussain in Centurion. Hussain was the captain when Anderson made his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord's in May 2003. Getty Images
Nasser Hussain made his England Test debut under the captaincy of the great Graham Gooch, above, against the West Indies in Jamaica in March 1990. It was a memorable match for England as they defeated a full strength Windies that had all-time greats. Ben Radford /Allsport
Nasser Hussain made his England Test debut under the captaincy of the great Graham Gooch, above, against the West Indies in Jamaica in March 1990. It was a memorable match for England as they defeated a full strength Windies that had all-time greats. Ben Radford /Allsport
Former opener John Edrich, above, was part of the team when future batting great Graham Gooch made his Test debut in the first Ashes Test in Birmingham in July 1975. However, Gooch had a forgettable outing as he made a pair in an innings defeat. Allsport Hulton / Archive
Former opener John Edrich, above, was part of the team when future batting great Graham Gooch made his Test debut in the first Ashes Test in Birmingham in July 1975. However, Gooch had a forgettable outing as he made a pair in an innings defeat. Allsport Hulton / Archive
When John Edrich made his debut against the West Indies in Manchester in June 1963, the great Freddie Trueman was present. One of the all-time greats of the game, 'Fiery Fred' was the ultimate fast bowler and also the first to take 300 Test wickets. Getty Images
When John Edrich made his debut against the West Indies in Manchester in June 1963, the great Freddie Trueman was present. One of the all-time greats of the game, 'Fiery Fred' was the ultimate fast bowler and also the first to take 300 Test wickets. Getty Images
Fred Trueman made his Test debut against India at Leeds in June 1952 under the captaincy of another all-time great England cricketer - Len Hutton. The Yorkshire batsman, above, is considered one of the finest batsmen the game has seen, and still holds the record for the highest Test score - 364 - by an Englishman. Getty Images
Fred Trueman made his Test debut against India at Leeds in June 1952 under the captaincy of another all-time great England cricketer - Len Hutton. The Yorkshire batsman, above, is considered one of the finest batsmen the game has seen, and still holds the record for the highest Test score - 364 - by an Englishman. Getty Images
When Len Hutton began his Test career against New Zealand at Lord's all the way back in 1937, the legendary Wally Hammond, above, was one of the biggest names in the sport. Hammond is one of the greatest pillars of cricket, scoring more than 50,000 runs in first-class cricket. Getty Images
When Len Hutton began his Test career against New Zealand at Lord's all the way back in 1937, the legendary Wally Hammond, above, was one of the biggest names in the sport. Hammond is one of the greatest pillars of cricket, scoring more than 50,000 runs in first-class cricket. Getty Images
Ernest Tyldesley, above, was part of the England team when Wally Hammond made his England Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1927. Tyldesley scored a century as England won by 10 wickets. Colorsport / Shutterstock
Ernest Tyldesley, above, was part of the England team when Wally Hammond made his England Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1927. Tyldesley scored a century as England won by 10 wickets. Colorsport / Shutterstock
England and Yorkshire great Wilfred Rhodes was part of the Ashes team in Nottingham in 1921 when Ernest Tyldesely began his Test career. Rhodes, above, had a truly remarkable career, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches. He scored close to 40,000 runs and took more than 4,000 wickets in 1,100 first-class matches. Getty Images
England and Yorkshire great Wilfred Rhodes was part of the Ashes team in Nottingham in 1921 when Ernest Tyldesely began his Test career. Rhodes, above, had a truly remarkable career, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches. He scored close to 40,000 runs and took more than 4,000 wickets in 1,100 first-class matches. Getty Images
Wilfred Rhodes made his Test debut in the 19th century - against Australia in Nottingham in June 1899. That was the era of the first great cricketer - WG Grace, above. Getty Images
Wilfred Rhodes made his Test debut in the 19th century - against Australia in Nottingham in June 1899. That was the era of the first great cricketer - WG Grace, above. Getty Images
WG Grace played his first Test against Australia at the Oval in 1880. He scored 152 on debut. Among the members of the England team was Alfred Shaw, who featured in the first ever Test on record - in Melbourne in 1877. Shaw bowled the first ball in Test cricket and was the first to take five wickets in an innings. Mildew Design Ltd / Shutterstock
WG Grace played his first Test against Australia at the Oval in 1880. He scored 152 on debut. Among the members of the England team was Alfred Shaw, who featured in the first ever Test on record - in Melbourne in 1877. Shaw bowled the first ball in Test cricket and was the first to take five wickets in an innings. Mildew Design Ltd / Shutterstock

Sport

Cricket

11 degrees of separation - from James Anderson to the first ever Test match in 1877

We take a look at players who formed a link to the previous generation of Test cricketers stretching all the way back to the first match played in the 19th century

Ajit Vijaykumar

July 19, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

England fast-bowling great James Anderson called time on his extraordinary Test career during the first match of the series against the West Indies at Lord's, finishing his journey at the Home of Cricket.

The 41 year old ended his career with 704 Test wickets in a 188-match career, numbers that will almost certainly never be matched.

The longevity and numbers of Anderson are truly remarkable. Very few players now even dream of playing Test cricket for two decades, while Anderson did that with great passion despite being a fast bowler.

He could have continued for a few more years, such is his fitness and dedication, but had to be urged to call it a day and allow England to blood the next generation of pacers.

And thus finished the career of a truly great Test cricketer. Anderson was the last link to an era that is behind us, where almost all teams had players who had played more than 100 Tests and had been around for 20-odd years.

His career takes us back to a period when Test cricket was still the benchmark for any aspiring cricketer and T20 cricket was just beginning to make an appearance. And if we dig a little deeper, we can go further back.

In the picture gallery above, we link Anderson to the previous generation of England Test cricketers, going back all the way to the first ever Test match between England and Australia in Melbourne in 1877. Each player in the gallery made his debut with a legend of the game from the preceding era.

To view the next image in the gallery, simply swipe or click on the arrows.

EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Whiile you're here
On Women's Day
The biog

Name: Samar Frost

Born: Abu Dhabi

Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends

Favourite singer: Adele

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Morbius'

Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYousuf%20Ali%20(2-0-0)%20(win-loss-draw)%20v%20Alex%20Semugenyi%20(0-1-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBenyamin%20Moradzadeh%20(0-0-0)%20v%20Rohit%20Chaudhary%20(4-0-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYoussef%20Karrar%20(1-0-0)%20v%20Muhammad%20Muzeei%20(0-0-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMarwan%20Mohamad%20Madboly%20(2-0-0)%20v%20Sheldon%20Schultz%20(4-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20featherweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBishara%20Sabbar%20(6-0-0)%20v%20Mohammed%20Azahar%20(8-5-1)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECruiseweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Bekdash%20(25-0-0)%20v%20Musa%20N%E2%80%99tege%20(8-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20flyweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESultan%20Al%20Nuaimi%20(9-0-0)%20v%20Jemsi%20Kibazange%20(18-6-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBader%20Samreen%20(8-0-0)%20v%20Jose%20Paez%20Gonzales%20(16-2-2-)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
While you're here
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

LAST-16 FIXTURES

Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
On Women's Day
On Women's Day
UAE currency
You might also like
Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

UAE currency
Updated: July 19, 2024, 3:20 AM
England Cricket