Southampton- When the ball bounced from the good length and nicked the bat of Azhar Ali to reach Joe Root’s safe pair of hands, English paceman James Anderson became the first fast bowler to take 600 test wickets in the game’s 143-year history.
Anderson had made his test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2003. Anderson’s tally of 103 wickets in the Lord’s has made him the only seamer to have more than 100 wickets in a single venue in the test.
Anderson is also the most successful test baller against Legendary Batsman Sachin Tendulkar, having taken Tendulkar’s wicket on 9 occasions.
In the career of 17 years, Anderson has taken 600 wickets in 156 tests with an average of 26.8. With 269 scalps in 194 ODIs, Anderson is also the highest wicket-taker for England in ODIs.
Now, Anderson is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in international test cricket only behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708), and Anil Kumble (619).
“First things that occur to my mind is how bad my haircuts were over the year. That’s just inexcusable,” Anderson told a reporter after reaching the milestone. “To be honest, I’m delighted to have managed to play as long as I have and enjoyed so much success while playing the game that I love.”
Anderson also stated that there is no reason for him not to play the Ashes next summer in Australia. He will be looking to break many more records at the tail-end of his career.
