OTD| James Anderson became the first fast bowler to enter the 600 Test wickets club in 2020

James Anderson retired as one of the greatest bowlers to ever lace his boots and walk into the cricket field. The veteran pacer hadn’t lost his groove with the ball even in his final ever Test match which was played against West Indies just a few weeks ago.

Ever since his debut for England, James Anderson has been one of the best exponents of swing bowling. The Lancashire-based bowler had bowled to some of the best batters across generations and became a huge thorn in their flesh.

By the end of his career, James Anderson had ended with 704 Test wickets. He holds the record for the most Test wickets by a pace bowler. James Anderson finished just 5 wickets behind Shane Warne who ended his career with a massive haul of 708 Test wickets.

Also Read: OTD | Former England Cricketer James Anderson was born in 1982

James Anderson scales 600 peak

Cricket resumed after a few months of the world being stopped due to the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2020. James Anderson then scripted history when he dismissed Azhar Ali of Pakistan to become the first-ever bowler in the history of Test cricket to get 600 wickets.

Speaking at the end of the day, Anderson had said to Sky Sports, “It feels amazing. Went to bed last night not expecting to bowl a ball today, with the weather. But credit to the ground staff, they’ve been brilliant both here and at Old Trafford.”

The veteran pacer had also said, “The weather last night was horrendous and this morning it was still pouring down so we weren’t holding out much hope of playing. But I was thinking, even if I didn’t get the chance today, there’s worse numbers to be stuck on for a few months. So I’d have been happy either way.”

When asked to speak about the achievement, the modest pacer had said, “I guess I’ve been lucky with the milestones, I remember Antigua, the catch went to Cooky. Going to Joe, does make it that little bit more special because we’ve shared lots of moments throughout the years, played a lot of Test cricket together. And to share those moments with good friends make them even more special.”

The England pacer had ended by saying, “Broady being out there as well. Me being out there for his 500th wicket this summer was incredibly special, and for him to be out there today made it so much more special for me.” Interestingly, Stuart Broad had ended his career with 604 Test wickets in 2023 becoming the 2^nd pacer to grab 600 Test wickets.

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