Ashes 2021-22: Ex-England player compares James Anderson to Ronaldo & Djokovic; here's why

In the ongoing Ashes series, England have been having a tough time against Australia as they have lost two of the first three Test matches with third still in progress. But the one bright spark in England's lineup has been veteran bowler James Anderson. And according to former England spinner Monty Panesar compared Anderson to footballing superstar, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Tennis superstar, 20-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.

"James Anderson was just magnificent. His performances are really up there with great sportsmen right now like Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, Novak Djokovic with the tennis. Jimmy Anderson is right up there with these kinds of stars. That was a brilliant bowling performance. We probably won't see again another England bowler like that. I thought England had probably their best bowling performance of the series so far," Panesar told Sky Sports.

Australia vs England: Anderson's performance in the Ashes so far

Anderson has been sensational with the ball so far in the ongoing Australia vs England Ashes series. In the first Test, he was not included but in the second he manged to take two wickets in the first innings while maintaining an economy of 2.00. In the second innings he took a wicket and maintained an economy of just 0.80 while bowling six maidens out 10 in total he bowled. In the third Test, Anderson has been even better as he has taken four wickets and maintained an economy of 1.43 in the first innings.

Panesar praises England's bowling lineup

Panesar was full of praise for England's bowling lineup including Mark Wood who took the wicket of in form Marnus Labuschagne. "As a bowling unit, they bowled magnificently well. Mark Wood, who has been dangerous throughout the whole series, was bowling with extreme pace, clocking up 150kph, and getting the No 1 batsman (Marnus Labuschagne) out. It was brilliant to watch," Panesar told Sky Sports.

But Panesar was critical of England's decision making including their decision to leave Stuart Broad out for the first Test against Australia. Panesar told Sky Sports, "Throughout the series, they've had poor decision making. At Brisbane, Joe Root won the toss, England should have bowled and Stuart Broad should have played. If they were preparing Jack Leach as a frontline spinner, they should have played him at the start of the English summer."

Image: AP