James Anderson Needs 13 Wickets To Become 1st Pacer In The World To…

Legendary fast bowler James Anderson is all set to play his last Test for England. The first Test of the three-match series between England and the West Indies, which is set to be played at the Lord’s on Wednesday (July 10), will be Anderson’s last match. During his farewell Test, the 41-year-old right-arm pacer, who made his Test debut for England in 2003, will have a chance to create history and become the first pacer in the world to take 1000 wickets in international cricket.

As of now, Anderson, who is England’s leading wicket-taker in Tests, has 987 wickets to his name. He has dismissed 700 batters in 187 Tests, 269 batters in 194 ODIs, and 18 batters in 19 T20Is. He needs 13 wickets in his 401st international match to become the first pacer and third bowler overall to dismiss 1000 batters in international cricket.

Former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and Australian spinner Shane Warne are the only two bowlers so far who have dismissed more than 1000 batters. Muralitharan, who is the all-time leading wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs, finished his career with 1347 wickets, and Warne accounted for the dismissal of 1001 batters in 339 matches.

Most wickets in international cricket

1. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 1347
2. Shane Warne (Australia) – 1001
3. James Anderson (England) – 987
4. Anil Kumble (India) – 956
5. Glenn McGrath (Australia) – 949
6. Wasim Akram (Pakistan) – 916
7. Stuart Broad (England) – 847
8. Shaun Pollock (South Africa) – 829
9. Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 789
10. Tim Southee (New Zealand) – 765

In the list of pacers with the most wickets in international cricket, Anderson is followed by Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram, who finished their careers with 949 and 916 wickets, respectively.

During the last Test of his legendary career, Anderson will also have a chance to break Warne’s record and become the second-leading wicket-taker in Test cricket history. He needs nine more wickets to go past Warne’s tally, who finished his career with 708 wickets in 145 matches.

Most wickets in Test cricket

1. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 800
2. Shane Warne (Australia) – 708
3. James Anderson (England) – 700
4. Anil Kumble (India) – 619
5. Stuart Broad (England) – 604

Anderson, who played in four Tests against India during the five-match series earlier this year, was named in England’s playing XI on Monday (July 8) for the first Test, which will be played at the Home of Cricket. In addition to Anderson, Chris Woakes was also included in the playing XI, and middle-order batter Harry Brook is also back after missing the Test tour of India and the IPL 2024.