England swing king pinpoints two players after more than a decade on the international scene
Anderson reveals best batsmen he's played
England fast bowler James Anderson has nominated former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and South African star Hashim Amla as the best batsmen he's bowled to during his career.
In a segment on Sky Sports alongside former Ashes rival Shane Warne earlier this week, Anderson was asked to pick the best batsmen he's bowled to during his more than 14 years at the top level.
While Warne unsurprisingly nominated Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, Anderson went with the former Aussie skipper and the current Proteas star.
"I'd put Ponting right up there, especially in Australian conditions," Anderson said.
"Basically, he hit you off your length and made it really difficult for you to settle as a bowler.
"Now, Hashim Amla is right up there – he's very difficult to bowl at, especially in Test cricket."
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Anderson dismissed Ponting four times in 12 Tests against him, removing him for 12 runs or less on each occasion. But the Australian had plenty success against the right-armer as well, scoring three centuries and four fifties, the hundreds coming in Brisbane, Adelaide (both in 2006) and Cardiff (in 2009).
Amla has had far more success against Anderson than Ponting, averaging more than 69 from 14 Tests against England in matches the right-arm quick has also played in.
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The Proteas star has notched six centuries in those 14 Tests, including a double century in Cape Town in 2016 and a South African record 311no at The Oval in 2012.
And Anderson has dismissed Amla just twice in that time, removing him for nine in the 2008 Edgbaston Test and for an even 100 in Centurion in 2009.
Warne, who had several famous battles with both Tendulkar and Lara during his career, said the pair was well ahead of any other batsmen he bowled to.
"For me, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar were the best two of my era – no-one got close to those guys," he said.
"Then there was a bit of a gap and you can put in the likes of Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen (and) Graham Gooch."