180 Test matches, the most by a pace bowler in history! The number just reemphasises the longevity of James Anderson, the veteran England pacer, who is the leading wicket-taker amongst fast bowlers in the longest format of the game (686). Anderson, who is aging like a fine wine, in the last few years has proven that he is the man for all conditions and all seasons and that he is not just a one-trick pony. Any other fast bowler even close to him is his teammate Stuart Broad, in terms of consistency.
However, according to veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma, former cricketer Zaheer Khan is better than the Englishman. Speaking on The Ranveer Allahbadia show, Ishant reckoned that Anderson played most of his cricket in England, where conditions were helpful for the faster bowlers, things would have been different if he played in India.
"Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method is quite different. He plays in different conditions in England. Maybe if he played in India...," Ishant was interrupted by the anchor in the middle, who smiled and said, "...maybe he wouldn't have found that kind of success."
Ishant nodded and replied saying: "Zak. He is better than Jimmy Anderson." Zaheer, who last played for India in 2014, took 311 wickets in Test cricket in 92 matches and is on level with Ishant for most wickets by an Indian pacer in the longest format.
Since they both were on the topic of Zaheer Khan, Ishant was asked about the infamous 2014 incident in Wellington Test where he wasn't happy with the senior teammate and was involved in a heated discussion with him.
Clarifying the same, Ishant said, "I had said that to myself. To this day, people don’t understand to whom I said that. I have never abused anyone who has dropped a catch. How can I say that to Zak? He is literally like a guru to me. I have never even thought about saying anything like that. It was just frustration because Brendon McCullum was scoring a lot of runs. There were only three fast bowlers - me, Zak and [Mohammed] Shami. After almost every four overs, we had to bowl again and the wicket was very flat. I was just letting out my frustration on myself.
