James Anderson's growing roll of honours still to sink in
Friday 12 February 2016 08:31, UK
James Anderson says his position as England's leading wicket-taker is yet to properly sink in after he collected his OBE.
Anderson, who moved past Sir Ian Botham's previous milestone of 383 wickets last year, received his honour from the Prince of Wales during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
The Lancashire seam bowler, who moved on to 433 Test wickets during the series win over South Africa, ranks seventh on the all-time list and needs only two more to move past Indian great Kapil Dev.
But Anderson still finds it hard to come to terms with the success the sport has brought him.
On breaking the record, Anderson said: "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.
"It's amazing. I feel very fortunate to have made a career out of cricket.
"Obviously I've played for England for over 10 years and to be recognised for that is really special for me and a huge honour for myself and my family.
Anderson feels very positive about the future of English cricket, with new head coach Trevor Bayliss having overseen an Ashes victory and the impressive series win in South Africa since his arrival.
He added: "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."
Will South Africa square up the series in Johannesburg on Friday? Find out from 11am on Sky Sports 2. You can also follow all the action with our live blog.
