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James Anderson, the legendary fast bowler, is gearing up for his final Test appearance for England. The first match of the three-game series against the West Indies, set to commence at Lord’s on Wednesday (July 10), marks Anderson’s farewell. Having debuted for England in 2003, the 41-year-old right-arm pacer holds the opportunity to etch his name in history by becoming the first fast bowler to claim 1000 international wickets.
Currently, Anderson stands as England’s highest wicket-taker in Tests with 987 dismissals. Across his illustrious career spanning 187 Tests, 194 ODIs, and 19 T20Is, he has taken a total of 987 wickets. To achieve the landmark of 1000 wickets in his 401st international appearance, Anderson needs just 13 more dismissals.
Among bowlers worldwide, only two have surpassed the milestone of 1000 wickets: Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, who retired with 1347 wickets, and Australia’s Shane Warne, who claimed 1001 dismissals in 339 matches.
Top international wicket-takers in cricket history:
– Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka): 1347 wickets
– Shane Warne (Australia): 1001 wickets
– James Anderson (England): 987 wickets
– Anil Kumble (India): 956 wickets
– Glenn McGrath (Australia): 949 wickets
– Wasim Akram (Pakistan): 916 wickets
– Stuart Broad (England): 847 wickets
– Shaun Pollock (South Africa): 829 wickets
– Waqar Younis (Pakistan): 789 wickets
– Tim Southee (New Zealand): 765 wickets
Among pacers with the most wickets in international cricket, James Anderson leads the pack followed by Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram, who retired with 949 and 916 wickets, respectively.
In his final Test match, Anderson has the opportunity to surpass Shane Warne’s record and become the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history. To achieve this, he needs nine more wickets to exceed Warne’s career total of 708 wickets from 145 matches.
Leading wicket-takers in Test cricket:
1. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 800 wickets
2. Shane Warne (Australia) – 708 wickets
3. James Anderson (England) – 700 wickets
4. Anil Kumble (India) – 619 wickets
5. Stuart Broad (England) – 604 wickets
Anderson, who featured in all four Tests against India earlier this year, was confirmed in England’s starting lineup for the first Test at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on Monday (July 8). Joining him in the playing XI was Chris Woakes, while middle-order batsman Harry Brook returned after missing the Test series in India and the IPL 2024.
