James Anderson was the best bowler, he deserves the Old Trafford: Engineer stand

Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer has hailed James Anderson as the best swing bowler he has ever seen and believes the retired England pacer deserves to stand to his name at Old Trafford, Lancashire’s home ground.

Anderson’s 25-year partnership with Lancashire recently ended after the county confirmed it would not offer the 44-year-old a new contract. Engineer believes the club should recognize Anderson’s contribution by naming a stand after him alongside the stands dedicated to Clive Lloyd and Engineer himself.

“Lancashire has had some great opening bowlers over the years, the great Brian Statham, Peter Lever, Ken Higgs, Wasim Akram, you could go on and on. But when the swing and seam conditions are there, Jimmy Anderson takes the cake,” Engineer told PTI.

Engineer also enjoyed a long spell with Lancashire, representing the county from 1968 to 1976. In 175 matches he scored 5,942 runs, took 429 catches and completed 35 stumpings.

“There’s nobody in the world better than Jimmy Anderson. He can swing the ball any way he wants and has so much control,” he added.

The 88-year-old also recalled a conversation with Anderson after the fast bowler was left out of the England squad for the 2022 tour of the West Indies following the team’s 0-4 Ashes defeat in Australia.

“He was dropped from the England team a few years ago and he was sitting next to me at (Andrew) Freddie Flintoff’s baby shower. He was so down. I said to him, ‘Jimmy, you’re the best swing bowler in the world, the best swing bowler I’ve ever seen. So don’t be down. I’m sure you’ll come back.’

“What a comeback it was. He completed 700 wickets in Test cricket. No other England bowler, in fact no other pace bowler, has kept fit at the age of 44, 45. So I think it’s time he called it a day. You know how it went, he didn’t appreciate it,” Engineer said.

Anderson retired from international cricket in July 2024, finishing with 704 wickets in 188 Tests. His last Test appearance came against the West Indies at Lord’s.

The engineer, who had a stand behind him at Old Trafford last year, said Lancashire should give Anderson a similar recognition for his service to the county.

“At the iconic Old Trafford ground there’s a stand named after Clive Lloyd, there’s a stand named after me. Now the third stand should be called the Jimmy Anderson stand,” Engineer said.

“Jimmy’s already has a bar. We all have suites at the Hilton, the Farokh Engineer Suite, the Clive Lloyd Suite.”

“Anderson should have a stand in his name as well. I’m sure the day isn’t far when Lancashire does that. So here’s the signature, it’s Farokh Engineer, all the best,” he added.

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