Last dance for England's James Anderson: Presenting his unbreakable records
What's the story
Over two decades after making his Test debut at the iconic Lord's, England pacer James Anderson is set to bid adieu to the sport on this very ground. England's impending first Test against West Indies will draw curtains on the illustrious 22-year international career of Anderson. Anderson will finish as the only pacer with 700+ Test wickets. Here are his unbreakable records.
700 wickets
700 Test wickets; no active pacer has even 400
Earlier this year, Anderson became the first-ever seamer to take 700 wickets in Test cricket. Interestingly, Anderson's compatriot Stuart Broad, who has already retired, remains the only other pacer with over 600 Test scalps (604). Glenn McGrath (563) and Courtney Walsh (519) are the only other pacers with 500+ wickets. Among active pacers, New Zealand's Tim Southee trails Anderson with 380 Test wickets.
Lord's
Anderson's exploits at Home of Cricket
Anderson made his Test debut in May 2003 in a game against Zimbabwe at Lord's, the Home of Cricket. Over 21 years later, the right-arm pacer will bow out at the same venue. Anderson's tally of 141+ international wickets is the most for a bowler at Lord's. Broad finished his career with 130 such wickets, while no other bowler has over 80 scalps.
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A record 188 Test appearances
Anderson will retire with 188 Test appearances, the second-most for a player after Sachin Tendulkar (200). It is worth noting that no specialist bowler other than Anderson has more than 170 appearances. Among active players, Australia's Nathan Lyon follows Anderson with 129 Test appearances.
ODIs
Over 260 ODI wickets despite not playing since 2015
Anderson stepped away from white-ball cricket in 2015. He leads the ODI wickets column for England by miles despite not featuring in the format for nearly a decade. Anderson (269) is one of only two England bowlers to have taken over 200 ODI wickets. Darren Gough, who retired in 2006, follows Anderson with 235 wickets. England's incumbent white-ball leg-spinner Adil Rashid has 199 wickets.
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Over 980 international wickets
As of now, Anderson has snapped up as many as 987 wickets across formats, the most for a pacer by a fair distance. Interestingly, no other active cricketer even has 800 scalps in this regard.
Records
Anderson's other records that will remain unbroken
Anderson has the most international wickets taken caught by the wicket-keeper (247). No other active cricketer has even 200 scalps. His tally of 467 wickets taken caught overall is the most for a bowler in Test cricket. Anderson also has most wickets taken bowled by a pacer in the longest format (136). He is only behind Muthiah Muralidaran (167) overall.
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116 Tests after turning 30
The current lot might not emulate Anderson's longevity and endurance, especially with the workload of modern-day cricket. As per Cricbuzz, the England seamer featured in as many as 116 Tests after turning 30.
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Most Test wickets after turning 30
Anderson is the only bowler to have taken over 400 wickets in Test cricket since turning 30. Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath, who retired in 2018, follows Anderson (398 wickets). Interestingly, only 16 other players own 400+ Test wickets in the entirety of their careers.