After T20 World Cup winning captain Jos Buttler said Ben Stokes is "in the conversation" to be considered England's greatest ever player after playing another match-winning innings in the final, former skipper Nasser Hussain has weighed in.
Hussain was quick to note that he did not want to pass judgement on cricketers he never got to see, naming Sir Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond and Sydney Barnes as three "great players" whose careers began before the Second World War that "would have been great at any time".
And of those players he has seen, Hussain narrowed it down to a top three with Stokes and fellow all-rounder Sir Ian Botham just losing out to James Anderson, who has taken more Test wickets than any other seamer in history with 667 and is remarkably still leading England's attack at 40.
"I can narrow it down to three," Hussain told the Daily Mail. "I grew up watching Ian Botham do ridiculous things.
"And the way he did them, from impossible situations with the belief he had, was incredible. And the argument for Ben Stokes is growing, not least because he has done it in all formats now.
"I agree with Jos Buttler that Ben would have to be in the conversation, and he could end up England's greatest cricketer if he carries on doing it in high-pressure situations to win trophies and Tests.
"But if I must come up with one name it will be Jimmy Anderson. I don't think his longevity in Test cricket will be beaten.
"To play 175 Tests as a fast bowler and take 667 wickets is phenomenal and, at 40, he is still going strong. People will look back on his record and say, 'How on earth did he do that?'"
And after England won six Tests in a summer this year for the first time since 2004, with Anderson taking 27 wickets at an average of 17.66, he is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. "I think I've smiled more than I ever have on a cricket field," he told Sky Sports in August. "I'm absolutely loving it."
