Jimmy Anderson will once again lead England’s pace attack as they take on South Africa at Lords. This is his first Test match since his 40th birthday, yet despite his advancing years, the end of his career doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.
So how is he still able to compete at such an elite level?
The ageing process begins to induce a decline in male physical ability around the early 30’s. Borgest and a team of researchers in Australia highlighted the naturally occurring declines in metabolic, cardiovascular and hormonal systems as the precursors for performance decrements in their review study of 2015. These genetic factors cannot be escaped. And while, in well-trained populations, the performance effects often do not become significant until their early 40s, in the tiny margins of elite sport any decline can become evident very quickly.
What makes Anderson’s continued levels of performance so impressive is the nature of what he does. Whilst endurance capacity has been shown to stand up well via training in athletes in their 40s, the ability to produce power due to the speed of muscle contraction can begin to significantly decrease in your 30s (Kostka 2005). A fast bowler needs to generate power to maintain their bowling pace. Therefore any drop in this key component would surely impact performance.
There is also a psychological element to ageing. For many, accepting you are no longer capable of the same levels of athleticism is difficult. In some sports enhanced experience and knowledge can offer a tonic to physical declines. Whilst Anderson has continually honed his skills to bring success, it is unlikely that his experience would somehow plug a physical performance gap, particularly against the world’s best.
A more plausible explanation is that due to a focus on managing both his body and schedule, Anderson has found a sweet spot at which focused training, nutrition and other technical adjustments are able to allow him to perform when selected.
Whilst a host of players take part in a number of formats, Anderson, at international level, has focused on test cricket since 2015. His last international T20 cap came even earlier, in 2009. This decision will likely have paid dividends as it has allowed him to take the time needed for recovery and work out how best to prepare his body for the challenges of cricket’s longer form.
Anderson is clearly exceptional. His continued ability to take wickets at the highest level despite his advancing age helps cement his legendary status within the game. To maintain his performance levels takes dedication to a lifestyle many players couldn’t cope with. To recognise the need to adapt his training and preparation displays a psychological maturity, often missing in others. Add to this the luck of excellent genetics and you have a 40-year-old still charging in utilising a mixture of experience, skill and pace to topple the world’s best.
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