Former England skipper, Andrew Strauss has called for James Anderson to receive a knighthood as the England legend prepares for his 188th and final Test cap at Lord’s this week.
As Test cricket’s most prolific pacer, with 700 career wickets at an average of 26.52, and England’s most capped cricketer, “Sir Jimmy” seems a foregone conclusion.
Strauss, who received a knighthood in 2019 for his services to charity, sport, and cricket, believes Anderson’s remarkable achievements merit the same honor. Strauss captained Anderson for 42 Tests and later worked above him as the ECB’s director of men’s cricket, witnessing firsthand the brilliance and longevity of James Anderson. Despite debuting a year after Anderson in 2004, Strauss retired from Test cricket 12 years ago.
When asked if Anderson deserved to be knighted, Strauss was unequivocal:
Very much so! I think any fast bowler that plays 188 Test matches deserves a knighthood, I’ll put it that way.
“Jimmy’s still bowling well, as we saw from his performances at Lancashire [for whom he took 7 for 35 last week], but there’s a ticking clock there for the next Ashes, isn’t there?” Strauss said. “I think 18 games until the next Ashes. And at some stage, you’ve got to juggle the needs for the future with the needs for the present. So I can understand why they’ve chosen this as the right time to do that.
Strauss will be present for Anderson’s farewell, with Lord’s set to turn red on day two to support the Ruth Strauss Foundation’s #RedForRuth campaign.
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