Former England pacer James Anderson receives knighthood: Details here
What's the story
James Anderson, the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket for England, has been knighted after his legendary career. The Princess Royal gave Anderson the honor at Windsor Castle. Notably, Anderson was included in former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's resignation honors list earlier this year for his contributions to cricket. He has entered a select group of English cricket legends who have been knighted, joining Sir Ian Botham, Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Sir Alastair Cook, and Sir Andrew Strauss.
Career highlights
Anderson retired with 704 Test wickets
Anderson made his First-Class debut for Lancashire in 2002 and went on to play 188 Tests, claiming an incredible 1,143 red-ball wickets. He bowed out last year as the most successful pacer in Test history. With 704 scalps, he is only behind Sri Lanka's Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708) globally. Anderson also has the third-most wickets (991) across formats and the most by a fast bowler.
Continued journey
Anderson still active in professional cricket
Despite retiring from international cricket, Anderson remains active in the sport and is reportedly negotiating a one-year extension with Lancashire for the 2026 season. During the 2025 domestic season, Anderson played six County Championship games before a side injury cut his season short. He also played his first T20 match in over a decade (since 2014), featuring in the Vitality Blast and Men's Hundred.
Do you know?
Second-oldest player to feature in Men's Hundred
As per ESPNcricinfo, Anderson became the second-oldest player to feature in Men's Hundred. He is only behind South African legend Imran Tahir, who played for Birmingham Phoenix aged 43 years and 149 days.