Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma made a bold claim as he said he considers his former colleague in the national team Zaheer Khan as a better bowler than England bowling legend James Anderson.
Anderson is the all-time highest wicket-taker in Test cricket among fast bowlers with 686 scalps to his name. He is the third-highest wicket-taker of all time in the longest format after Mutthiah Muralidharan (800) and the late Shane Warne (708).
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The English fast bowler who will turn 41 next month, still continues to play international cricket and is part of the England squad in the ongoing Ashes Series.
Despite his longevity and records in Test cricket, Ishant Sharma considers Zaheer Khan to be a better bowler than the English international because as per him Khan bowled in more challenging conditions.
Speaking to YouTuber BeerBiceps, Sharma said,
Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method are quite different. He plays in different conditions in England. Maybe if he played in India....
The anchor then asked if Zaheer Khan was a better bowler to which Sharma replied,
Zak (Zaheer Khan). He is better than Jimmy Anderson.
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Zaheer Khan vs James Anderson stats
James Anderson has a clear edge in the longer format of the game as he took 686 wickets compared to Khan's 311 but in ODIs, the Indian fast bowler has more wickets.
Tests
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Runs | Avg. |
| Zaheer Khan | 92 | 311 | 10,247 | 32.94 |
| James Anderson | 180 | 686 | 17,916 | 26.11 |
ODIs
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Runs | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaheer Khan | 200 | 282 | 10,097 | 29.43 |
| James Anderson | 194 | 269 | 7584 | 29.22 |
