Anderson vs Steyn: Who is the Best Fast Bowler?
Steyn is probably #1 though Anderson is improving fast. But what does it mean to be the more 'skillful' bowler?
By Rashesh Shah
Last Updated: May 22, 2013, 09:11 IST1 min
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On Sunday, England’s Jimmy Anderson became the fourth English bowler to take 300 test wickets when he helped skittle out New Zealand.Anderson's bowling coach, David Saker, made a big statement: he called Anderson the most skilful bowler around. Note: not the best, but the most skilful. He meant that Anderson’s control of outswing, inswing and reverse swing across conditions is second to none.Many would dispute that. The many who believe that Dale Steyn is the one way ahead of the pack.One thing is undisputed though: these two pacers are head and shoulders above the rest. Here's why:• Their ability to get wickets across all conditions. Anderson and Steyn have both succeeded in India, no paradise for fast bowlers.• They have the cleanest bowling actions I've seen in a long time. Dale Steyn is a rhythm bowler and once he’s found his groove, he doesn’t look to be exerting himself at all. Look at how his opening partner Morne Morkel strains himself to get pace and bounce. James Anderson cocks the ball by his cheek just as you’re taught in school; none of Andrew Flintoff's flailing arms.• They've managed to steer clear of injuries. One needs only look at India and Australia in recent times for cases where injuries to strike bowlers have killed the team’s chances.It's an intriguing exercise to look at their stats side by side.They're around the same age (Anderson is 30 and Steyn 29), and made their test débuts within a year of each other (Anderson, 2003, Steyn 2004). Steyn took just 61 tests to reach the 300 wicket mark, whereas Anderson took 81. ? I’ll leave to you to decide.
First Published: May 22, 2013, 09:11
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