Former England fast bowler James Anderson has been awarded a knighthood in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.
The 42-year-old retired from Test cricket in July having taken 704 wickets, the most by a fast bowler in Test history.
He is still playing for his county Lancashire but has missed the start of the Rothesay County Championship season with a calf problem.
Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and the late Shane Warne (708) have more Test wickets than Anderson, who is out of sight among non-spinners and may never be toppled, with closest challenger and former team-mate Stuart Broad retiring last year on 604.
Anderson, who made his first-class debut for Lancashire in 2002, made his one-day international debut for England against Australia in December of that year, with his Test bow coming in May 2003.
He finished his international career having played 188 Tests, 194 ODIs and 19 T20s and took 991 wickets across the three formats.
England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson said in a statement: “Congratulations Sir Jimmy Anderson. This is a really well-deserved honour for an England legend who has given so much to our sport.
“Jimmy’s career has been marked by extraordinary achievements, not least in winning the Ashes four times and becoming England’s all-time leading wicket-taker.
“His skill, determination and sportsmanship have inspired millions of cricketers and fans alike, in England and around the world.
“This is fitting recognition for a true world-great who has given so much to the game on and off the field.”
Former Lancashire captain and England head coach David Lloyd added on LancsTV: “It’s wonderful news not only for Jimmy Anderson, but the town of Burnley and for Lancashire Cricket – it’s a real feather in our cap.
“When you look at Jimmy, now at 42 years of age, you can see he looks after himself. When you get an accolade like this, Sir James Anderson, it’s not only about what he’s doing on a cricket field but also about the person himself.
“Jimmy is a really good bloke and he’s got great pride in what he does, which has been opening the bowling for England and for Lancashire. He’s also got a wonderful, fantastic respect of the game of cricket.”
Lancashire’s director of cricket performance Mark Chilton said the club were “incredibly proud” of Anderson.
He added on the club website: “His contribution to the game of cricket, spanning across three decades, has been immense and he is extremely deserving of this honour.
“His knighthood is testament to the commitment and dedication he has shown to England and to Lancashire and he has always represented the game of cricket with distinction throughout his career.”
An emotional Anderson brought down the curtain on his history-making England career against West Indies at Lord’s last summer, making wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva his final victim at the same ground that he started his 21-year story in 2003.
He toasted his farewell with a pint of Guinness as hundreds of fans gathered to pay tribute to their departing hero in front of the famous old pavilion.
Anderson was nudged into international retirement by England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum with one eye on the future.
However, he thinks he could still be playing for another three years.
He has signed a one-year deal with Lancashire for the County Championship and Vitality Blast and said at the start of the month: “I am not ruling out playing for another one, two or three years. We’ll see how it goes.
“I could get a month in and think ‘absolutely not’ but I could have a great year, we could win everything and they might want to keep me next year so we’ll just have to wait and see.
“This club is a place I love, they helped me so much at the start of my career and throughout, I feel it’s nice to try and give something back, give myself to them for a season, maybe more.”
