Social media can be a brutal place, especially for public figures, especially for athletes. The backlash that follows if someone ends up performing poorly is a stuff of nightmares.
England superstar James Anderson might be cricket’s most prolific fast bowler when it comes to wickets across formats but even he’s not immune to the vicious trolls on the internet. However, to avoid them, he has started muting certain phrases and names on Twitter that he considers are used by trolls to target him on the micro-blogging website.
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There are two big names from the world of cricket in it including legendary Glenn McGrath and India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.
Why Pant you ask?
Well, during the Ahmedabad Test of 2021, Pant nonchalantly reverse-swept Anderson, widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers, for a boundary. That audacious shot drew widespread praise and handed Anderson’s trolls with another weapon to take a shot at him.
James Anderson Has Muted The Word “Rishabh Pant” On Twitter Due To Lots Of Trolling. pic.twitter.com/k9D1YlDX2j
— Duck (@DuckInCricket) September 1, 2022
And hence, Anderson, who recently became the first fast bowler in history to complete 950 wickets in international cricket, has also muted the words ‘reverse’, ‘sweep’ and ‘reverse-sweep’.
Anderson also revealed he has muted ‘Clouderson’ as well – a term that is used by his critics who claim the 40-year-old only becomes a threat under cloud cover.
And he has also blocked the phrase ‘worse than Steyn’.
Anderson might have turned 40 but he refuses to slow down and continues to break records. In 174 Tests, he has now taken 664 wickets in them at 26.26 including 32 five-wicket hauls.
While the England veteran may have muted Rishabh Pant’s name on Twitter, he has immense respect for the India star.
“He’s aggressive, he’ll think outside the box. He might play the odd shot that’s out of the ordinary and we just have to accept that he’s a fantastic player, fantastic talent,” Anderson had said praising Pant during India’s tour of England in 2021.
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