Ageless James Anderson keen to prove 40 is just another number

James Anderson turned 40 on Saturday, an age where many pacemen of previous eras would have long since retired. But the 'king of swing' shows no sign of stopping, with Anderson in line still to be leading England's attack during next month's three-Test series at home to South Africa. The sheer physical strain of fast bowling meant it was once considered all but unthinkable for a Test 'quick' to go much beyond their mid-30s.

Yet Anderson, who has already played 172 Tests and taken 657 wickets -- the third-highest individual tally with only two spinners in the late Shane Warne and the long-retired Muttiah Muralitharan ahead of him -- appears to be getting better with age. He has taken 389 wickets from 101 Tests since turning 30 and is in line to become the first to 400 after that age. Even more significantly, Anderson's bowling average and strike-rate are improving the older he gets.

Research compiled by the ESPNCricinfo website, shows that in the years aged 25 to 29, Anderson averaged 28.47 runs per Test wicket; between 30 and 34, it improved to 25.45; since turning 35, his average is a superb 21.39. In recent times, the only other outright paceman who has come closest to matching such longevity is West Indies' Courtney Walsh, a genuine quick compared to Anderson's effective fast-medium pace. Walsh's 132-Test career yielded 519 wickets and he was 38, when having also bowled countless overs for Jamaica and Gloucestershire, he retired in 2001.

He holds the record for the most Test wickets taken by a fast bowler over the age of 35, with 180 from 39 matches. But Walsh's mark appears destined to fall to Anderson, who currently has a corresponding 177 from 47. Several quicks have played Test cricket aged 40 and above, although