England’s James Anderson becomes first fast bowler to take 600 Test wickets
PTI, Aug 26, 2020, 8:55 AM IST
Southampton: The England paceman James Anderson became only the fourth bowler and the first seamer to take 600 wickets in test cricket on Tuesday, August 25 by dismissing Azhar Ali in the third Test against Pakistan.
After England captain Joe Root took the high catch at first slip off the Pakistan captain to give Anderson his prized wicket, the 38-year-old fast bowler was mobbed by his teammates.
Then Anderson took the ball in his right hand and with a cheeky smile saluted all sides of the Rose Bowl, which is without spectators because of coronavirus restrictions. England coach Chris Silverwood applauded on the boundary edge.
Anderson, who is playing in his 156th test, is fourth on the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in tests. Only retired spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) are above him.
“Massive effort from a great fast bowler,” Kumble, the former India legspinner, wrote on Twitter. “Welcome to the club.”
Anderson is the second quickest to get to 600 wickets, taking six balls more than Muralitharan, but it could have come much sooner.
He was dropped four times in 37 balls either side of Pakistan’s overnight change of innings between Days 3 and 4 of the final test of the series.
He took his 599th wicket that of Abid Ali near the end of Monday’s play, before bad light stopped play.
The first two sessions of Tuesday were washed out, raising doubts about whether Anderson would miss his chance. However, play started late in the afternoon and Anderson took the wicket of Azhar off his 14th delivery.
The enduring Anderson shows no sign of slowing down, especially when he bowls on home soil where he is so adept at taking advantage of English conditions. He is still widely regarded as the best bowler in the world when the ball is swinging.
On Sunday, he took his 29th five-wicket haul of a Test career that began in 2003. His average is 26.82.
Not playing white-ball cricket since 2015 has allowed him to focus his energy and fitness on the test format. The extended break to the cricket season because of the pandemic gave Anderson more time to rest his aging body after an injury-plagued period that restricted him to just 74 overs of bowling from the opening Ashes test in August last year until this summer.
Just this month, Anderson said that he has no plans to retire and has his sights set on an Ashes series Down Under next year.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
IPL auction set to be held in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh at end of November
So proud of you: Ravindra reveals rare message from dad after NZ’s historic series win
Gautam Gambhir’s performance under scanner after disaster in Sri Lanka and India
ISL: Mumbai City defeat Kerala Blasters 4-2 in six-goal thriller
BCCI to discuss NZ whitewash, some star seniors could be phased out post Australia series
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Balasore tragedy result of composite negligence of railway officials: Orissa High Court
Actress Kasthuri stokes controversy by her remarks on Telugu-speaking people in TN
Three convicted for 2016 Kollam collectorate blast case
Expect Canadian government to ensure justice, uphold rule of law: PM Modi
Group clash in Indore after argument over bursting firecrackers: NSA slapped against 2 accused
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.