James Anderson became the first England bowler to take 500 Test wickets and just the sixth in history when he dismissed West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite on the second day of the third Test at Lord’s on Friday.
Anderson, who started West Indies’ second innings on 499 Test wickets, reached the landmark when, with the last delivery of his second over, he bowled Brathwaite between bat and pad for four with a big inswinger that demolished the right-hander’s middle stump.
A capacity crowd at Lord’s rose to give Anderson a standing ovation, with the Lancashire swing bowler having started his Test career by taking five wickets in his debut innings against Zimbabwe at the ‘home of cricket’ in 2003.
Anderson is just the sixth bowler and only the third paceman to have taken 500 Test wickets.
He is also the only active cricketer in that elite group, with the spin trio of Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 Test wickets), Australia’s Shane Warne (708), India’s Anil Kumble (619), as well as Australia seamer Glenn McGrath (563) and West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh (519) now all retired.
Walsh, the first bowler to 500 Test wickets back in 2001, also took 129 matches to reach the landmark figure.
McGrath is the only other seamer to reach 500 and he, like Anderson, also did it at Lord’s in the opening Ashes clash of 2005.