James Anderson receives OBE at Buckingham Palace

33-year-old England fast bowler James Anderson received the OBE medal from Prince Charles at the Buckingham Palace for his services to England cricket. Anderson has been a true servant of English cricket and has also been the leader of the Indian pace attack for almost a decade.

James Anderson overtook former England all-rounder Ian Botham’s tally of 383 wickets in the West Indies tour last year. In England’s Test Series win over South Africa, Anderson overhauled New Zealand great Sir Richard Hadlee and now sits on 433 wickets. He has also achieved the rare distinction of becoming the highest wicket taker for England and the only England bowler to cross 400 Test wickets.

“It’s amazing. I feel very fortunate to have made a career out of cricket,” Anderson told reporters at Buckingham Palace. “Obviously, I’ve played for England for over 10 years and to be recognized for that is really special for me and a huge honor for myself and my family,” Anderson said.

Asked about how he felt when he crossed Ian Botham’s mark, Anderson went on to state that, “It was a real surreal moment for me. Obviously, Sir Ian Botham is someone I’ve looked up to as a child growing up – and to pass him, it still hasn’t sunk in yet. Again, I’m just lucky I’ve managed to play the game long enough to be able to overtake him and contribute to English cricket as I have.”

Speaking about the future and the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in spring, Anderson went on to state,” “We’ve got an exciting team at the moment. Obviously, some young guys have come in during the last 12 months, a bit of a transitional phase for us, and I think when that happens the results aren’t always going to be consistent but I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

“The new coach Trevor Bayliss has been brilliant in helping the younger guys settle into the team and perform at their best,” he said.