James Anderson claims historic 600th wicket in third Pakistan Test

England's record wicket-taker reached the latest milestone of a historic career during the fifth evening at The Ageas Bowl

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England bowler James Anderson has created another piece of history after taking the 600th Test wicket of his remarkable career.

The 38-year-old dismissed Pakistan captain Azhar Ali on the fifth evening of the third Test at The Ageas Bowl to reach the landmark.

Already the leading wicket-taking seamer in Test history, he is the fourth man to register 600 scalps in the format and the only seamer to do so.

Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble are the only other international bowlers to achieve the feat.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former Australia captain Warne said: "It is an outstanding achievement and he should be extremely proud of what he has done."

Kumble added on Twitter: Congratulations @jimmy9 on your 600 wickets! Massive effort from a great fast bowler. Welcome to the club.

Ex-Pakistan seamer Wasim Akram wrote on Twitter: "Champion bowler James Anderson! Congrats on reaching the first-ever 600 wickets for a fast bowler.. hard work, passion, and never-day-die approach have been the hallmark of your career.. doyen of fast bowlers, best wishes for the rest of your career."

James Anderson's 𝟲𝟬𝟬𝘁𝗵 Test wicket 👏#ENGvPAKpic.twitter.com/cPWU4t43pw

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) August 25, 2020

Reaching the figure sparked scenes of wild jubilation in the middle, though it came without a crowd due to the Tests being played behind-closed-doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though Anderson got to 600 with aplomb, he missed out on Muralitharan's record as the quickest man to the milestone. The Sri Lanka spinner took 33,711 deliveries to reach the figure, with the Lancashire man needing six more.

The achievement, exactly a year on from Ben Stokes' unbeaten 135 against Australia at Headingley, comes at the end of a summer during which Stuart Broad reached 500 Test wickets against West Indies.

In the 17 years since his Test debut, Anderson has transformed from young upstart to the most successful quick in the history of the longest and greatest format of the game.

Indeed, when he dismissed Zimbabwe's Mark Vermeulen at Lord's in May 2003 with the 18th delivery of his Test career, few could have expected what would follow.

Dogged by injury and an awkward action, it took five years of graft for Anderson to become a permanent figure in the England attack. By the time he had reached a century of Test victims by dismissing Jacques Kallis, he was among the finest swing bowlers on the planet: near-unplayable on home turf and a constant threat on the road.

Come 2010 and 2011 he was at the peak of his powers, helping to guide England to world No.1 in the Test rankings which included a first Ashes series win in Australia for 24 years. During that series he picked up his 200th Test wicket by dismissing Peter Siddle.

Seamers with 600 Test wickets:

- 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣

That's your lot.#ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/CGAVxozcR5

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) August 25, 2020

Though England slipped from their perch, Anderson continued to enjoy success and had by this stage formed an inspired partnership with Broad, who he would bowl in tandem with all around the world.

After becoming the fourth England bowler to reach 300 scalps, he became the countries' leading wicket-taker after getting rid of Dinesh Ramdin to go past Sir Ian Botham in April 2015.

Recent years have seen Anderson dogged by injury problems, with shoulder, calf, and rib issues all restricting his involvement. Nevertheless, he has continued to cement his status as one of Test cricket's greatest quick bowlers, working tirelessly on his fitness to prolong his career deep into his 30s.

That has ensured that since going to 500 wickets by bowling Kraigg Brathwaite in 2017, his route to 600 has been inevitable. He went past Glenn McGrath's haul of 563 to become the most successful seam bowler in Tests against India at The Kia Oval and only had to wait 13 Tests to reach the latest landmark of a magical career which shows no sign of letting up.

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