Into record books: James Anderson becomes first pacer to bag 700 Test wickets
41-year-old reached milestone during his 187th Test match in ongoing series against India
March 09, 2024
England's veteran pacer James Anderson has etched his name into record books by becoming the first-ever fast bowler to bag 700 Test wickets — and third overall — during the fifth Test between India and England being played in Dharamsala on Saturday.
Anderson, playing his 187th Test, bagged the wicket of India's Kuldeep Yadav to reach the milestone in his more than two-decade-long illustrious career.
The 41-year-old was given a standing ovation by the travelling "Barmy Army" fans as he led his team off the park at the innings break.
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is at the top of the all-time chart with 800 wickets from 133 Tests, followed by Australia spin legend Shane Warne (708).
"At the foothills of the Himalayas, James Anderson has reached the insurmountable summit for a fast bowler in test match cricket," former England bowler Steven Finn told the BBC.
"Nobody will ever take more than 700 test wickets as a fast bowler. He's a remarkable man and player and he's still going."
Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar also lauded Anderson's "stellar achievement" on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"A fast bowler playing for 22 years and performing so consistently to be able to take 700 wickets would have sounded like fiction until Anderson actually made it happen," Tendulkar wrote.
Former England captain Alastair Cook also heaped praise on the right-arm pacer.
"I sat in a selection meeting 10 years ago and we were discussing ... when we were going to rest and rotate him because he can't keep playing all those test matches," Cook said on TNT Sports.
"His hunger to get better and win games of cricket for England is unbelievable.
"The physical challenges he has overcome to be able to play 190 test matches is a joke and his skill is a joke," he noted.
