Top 4 Biggest Controversies of James Anderson’s Cricket Career
Explore spine-chilling details about the top 4 biggest controversies of James Anderson’s cricketing career that have left his fans shocked

James Anderson is undoubtedly commemorated by millions of fans around the world as one of the most prominent and legendary cricketers in the world. The fiery spirit, stellar bowling records and power-packed innings have been a nightmare for even the greatest of batsmen in the world. From Australia’s Ricky Ponting to India’s Sachin Tendulkar, every great batsman in the world has faced the fury of James Anderson across all formats including Test, ODI and T20 internationals.
Anderson announced his retirement from the test format and played his career’s final test match against West Indies at the Lord’s cricket ground in London on July 12, 2024, which served as a major nostalgic moment for his fans, as the spearhead bowler of England made his test debut on the same ground against Zimbabwe in 2003. Although Anderson has witnessed numerous highs in his glorious cricketing career, the bowling sensation of England has also been through a rough side of controversies throughout his cricketing career.
In this article we will take a look at the top four biggest controversies of James Anderson’s cricketing career.
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Top 4 Biggest Controversies of James Anderson’s Cricket Career
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James Anderson’s Physical Altercation with Michael Clarke
The game of cricket has witnessed numerous instances where cricketers lost their control and ended up in ugly verbal brawls with the players of the opposing teams. The 2006-07 Ashes Series witnessed one of the most heated and intense arguments between James Anderson and Michael Clarke.
During the third match of the 2006-07 Ashes Series, the two iconic cricketers got indulged in a heated argument and walked up to each other with a fuming wrath in their eyes, although both of them were retained by their respective teammates, Anderson ended up making a gesture of hitting Clarke which further escalated the fuming situation on the field.
In addition to being one of the top four biggest controversies of Anderson’s cricketing career, this instance also served as a strong testament to one of the most storied rivalries between England and Australia on the cricket field.
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The Ball-Tampering Allegation on James Anderson
The storied historical past of cricket has witnessed numerous instances where cricketers have been accused of tampering with the balls. This one instance, during the 2017-18 Ashes Series where England’s James Anderson was caught on camera while he was allegedly trying to alter the ball’s condition with his fingers, garnered a lot of criticism from the fans of cricket.
Although Anderson was caught live on the camera while he was making subtle attempts to tamper with the ball, England’s spearhead bowler played it smartly and successfully convinced the umpires that he was just trying to clean off the dirt from the ball. However, the instance brought a lot of criticism for the cricketer and was known to be one of the top four biggest controversies in Anderson’s cricketing career.
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James Anderson’s Physical Brawl with Ravindra Jadeja
Often known as the “man of controversies”, James Anderson got indulged in a physical fight with India’s Ravindra Jadeja during the first test match of the team India’s tour of England in 2014. Anderson allegedly pushed Jadeja twice. The physical altercation between the two players escalated to the extent that an official complaint was filed against both of them.
However, as there was no evidence of the entire incident that took place, no severe punishment was rolled out on any of them. In his defense, Anderson told the media that he was just trying to safeguard himself from Jadeja, who allegedly walked toward the cricketer in an attempt to harm him.
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James Anderson’s “Sexist” Remark on Stuart Broad
James Anderon has been prominently known for his controversial statements and tweets on social media. In one such controversial tweet, Anderson left a sexist remark on Stuart Broad’s haircut and called him a “lesbian” publicly.
Anderson’s sexist tweet in 2010 on Stuart Broad that read “I saw Broady’s new haircut for the first time today. Not sure about it. Though he looked like a 15-year-old lesbian”, ended up stirring fuming controversies on the social media and Anderson was brutally bashed for his derogatory remark against Stuart Broad, making it one of the top four biggest controversies of his cricketing career.