James Anderson

James Anderson was born on 30th July 1982 in Burnley, Lancashire and from an early age he dreamed of being a professional cricketer. Anderson played his early cricket for Burnley Cricket Club, starting out as a seam bowler but then, following a growth spurt in his late teens, he became the fast bowler that he is today. As a teenager Anderson was considered to be one of the fastest bowlers in the Lancashire League.

Anderson had been on the Lancashire books as a junior for some time but his performances for Burnley convinced them that it was time to give him his first team debut and he made his bow in 2002. In his first season, Anderson played 13 first class matches and took 50 wickets including three five-wicket hauls and he was awarded the NBC Denis Compton award as Lancashire's most promising young prospect. 

Having impressed for Lancashire it wasn't long before Anderson was called up to represent England in a One Day International Tournament in Australia in December 2002. Anderson recorded figures of 1/46 against Australia, showing enough promise to secure selection for the 2003 World Cup. Anderson's test debut came in the summer of 2003 against Zimbabwe at Lords and he made the most of the opportunity, picking up five wickets in the first innings. Anderson was named Young Cricketer of the Year in 2003, after impressing against Zimbabwe and later in the summer against South Africa. 

After starting his international career so brightly, Anderson lost form and confidence over the next couple of years and he eventually lost his place in the test side in 2004. After battling his way back into contention in 2006, he was sidelined with a stress fracture in his back but he did recover fitness in time for the ill-fated 2006-2007 tour of Australia. No England player came out of that tour with any real credit but it gave Anderson the determination to succeed and over the next few years he would become a fixture in the England team and one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket.

Since 2007, Anderson has gone on to become the youngest ever English bowler to take 200 wickets, and only the fourth to take 300 wickets. Anderson is England's all-time highest international wicket-taker when combined across all three formats, and in 2011 he was ranked as the second best bowler in the world. Anderson has won Ashes series both home and away and was part of the England side ranked as the number one test team in the world in 2011-2012.

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