This summer marks the first in years when neither James Anderson nor Stuart Broad will be available for England selection. Stuart Broad retired after the 2023 Ashes and transitioned into broadcasting, while James Anderson ended his Test career following the first match against West Indies in 2024. Since retiring, Anderson has remained involved in the cricketing scene and occasionally works with the England team in a coaching role.
James Anderson’s Test career, spanning 188 matches over 21 years, came to an end where it had begun – at Lord’s – with a three-for in the second innings as England routed West Indies by an innings and 114 runs. James Anderson finished with 704 Test wickets and it could have been 705 if he had not dropped a dolly off Gudakesh Motie off his own bowling, which would have finished off the game.
After starting under Nasser Hussain (also his interviewer at the end) in a team that still had the likes of Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart to playing with debutants Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith in his final Test, James Anderson has had 109 team-mates in Test cricket. James Anderson was part of 83 of England’s Test wins including the ones that won them an Away Ashes in 2010/11, after a 24-year drought, and a 2-1 series win in India in 2012 – which is the last instance of an away team beating India in India.
James Anderson’s dominating Test career
The seasoned pacer James Anderson has dominated red-ball cricket with his mastery of the swing as well as the reverse swing. He made his debut in the Test format against Zimbabwe at The Lord’s, and he will bid farewell to fans as a player at the same venue.
His 6/17 against Pakistan in the first Test in 2010 at Trent Bridge still echoes the prowess of his remarkable career. He left Pakistan batters Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Azhar Ali, and many more players speechless. In 187 Tests, Anderson has taken 700 wickets at an average of 26.52, with the best bowling figures of 7/42. He has also taken 269 wickets in 194 ODIs for England and 18 wickets in 19 T20Is.
Rishabh Pant welcomed the absence of James Anderson and Broad in England’s lineup, noting their impact in past tours. However, he warned that England still have a strong bowling attack, and emphasised India’s respect for every opponent while backing his young team’s ability.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s numbers against India
James Anderson and Broad are regarded as two of the greatest pace bowlers in the history of Test cricket. The pacers dominated world cricket together for over a decade and formed a deadly duo, troubling the batters of the opposition teams. Stuart Broad had retired from international cricket in 2023 at the end of the Ashes series in a glorious manner, while James Anderson was forced into retirement by the ECB in 2024, with his final Test coming against the West Indies.
James Anderson featured in 39 Test matches against India over the years, and he picked up 149 wickets. He bagged his scalps at an average of 25.47, an economy of 2.73, and a strike rate of 55.8, with the best bowling figures in the match of 9/43. On the other hand, Stuart Broad played 24 Test matches against India, and he bagged 74 wickets at an average of 28.51, an economy of 2.89, and a strike rate of 59.1, with the best bowling figures in the match of 8/76.
After a very long time, the England National Cricket Team will be starting their home summer without the services of both James Anderson and Stuart Broad. India Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant was asked about the absence of the duo in the upcoming series, and he admitted that he “feels good”.
Rishabh Pant is relaxed by the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad in English series 2025
India vice-captain Rishabh Pant is relieved pace-bowling greats James Anderson and Stuart Broad are no longer in the England line-up heading into Friday’s first Test at Headingley. James Anderson followed fellow paceman Broad into international retirement last year, with England’s two most successful bowlers in Test history having taken a mammoth 1,308 wickets between them.
And while India defeated England 4-1 on home soil last year, you have to go back to 2007 for the last time they won a Test series in England, with the new-ball duo of James Anderson and Broad long a thorn in their side.
“It feels so good when both of them are not there. They have been there for England for so many years, and I have only come here for two tours,” Pant told a pre-match press conference at Headingley on Wednesday.
Rishabh Pant, however, acknowledged that England have got a good bowling unit even in the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and the bowlers can’t be taken lightly.
“But at the same time, they have enough ammunition in the England bowling line-up, we don’t want to take anyone lightly because our team is also young and still looking to develop themselves,” the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman added.
“We are going to play our cricket and respect the bowlers, and the opposition when needed.”
Rishabh Pant came up against James Anderson in 16 innings in Test cricket, and he scored 98 runs in 196 balls at an average of 32.66 while being dismissed three times. Also, the wicketkeeper-batsman faced Stuart Broad in five innings in Test cricket and scored 59 runs in 80 balls at an average of 59.00 while being dismissed just once.
The five-match Test series against England will start from June 20 to July 4 and will be played in five venues for nearly two months.The first Test will be played in Leeds, then in Birmingham before moving to London’s iconic Lord’s, and the last two Tests will be played in Manchester and The Oval.
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