Former England striker Gary Lineker has applauded England cricket star James Anderson's football skills after the legendary bowler was seen showing off his fancy footwork in the third Test against South Africa at the Oval.
Instead of simply picking the ball up ahead of returning to his mark and bowling another delivery, Anderson decided to do some keepy-uppies instead.
The 40-year-old flicked the ball up into the air a few times, before catching it one-handed and proceeding to continue bowling. Lineker, a huge cricket fan, was impressed by Anderson's footwork, sharing a clip of the veteran seamer's efforts on Twitter.
"Not bad @jimmy9. Not bad at all," he wrote while also including the clapping hands emoji.
Other fans were also impressed by Anderson's skills, with one writing: "Thanks Jimmy. So much better than watching La Liga only this weekend".
"Juggling a cricket ball ain't as easy as it seems," wrote a second. "Great skills from James Anderson..."
"Should have been booked for unsportsmanlike conduct and restarted with free kick to South Africa," joked another in reference to the criticism aimed at Tottenham forward Richarlison after he did some keepy-uppies during his side's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest last month.
Anderson is known as the Burnley Lara and, having been born in the Lancashire town, is an avid supporter of his local club. He also grew up playing football as well as cricket, having ambitions of representing his country in both sports.
In the 2019 documentary 'The Edge', Anderson recalled: "Growing up as a kid all I wanted to do was either play football or cricket for England. I know a lot of people have dreams like that and it's not often they're realised."
