Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan wicket-keeper believes that England pacer James Anderson may have set a record that will not be broken after he became the first pacer to reach 600 Test wickets. He made history on the fifth day of the third Test which ended in a draw when he had Pakistan captain Azhar Ali caught at slip cordon by England skipper Joe Root in Southampton.
James Anderson, who is of 38 years of age has also bowled the maximum deliveries by a pacer ever and has taken 332 wickets after the age of 30. He had last played an ODI in 2015 and is England’s highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs. He wants to carry on at least until next winter’s Ashes. He has played in only 97 first-class matches besides his 156 Test appearances.
Kumar Sangakkara Says James Anderson’s Feat Is A Tremendous Achievement
“Jimmy is a fast bowler of immense skill and determination, the 42-year-old Sangakkara, a former Sri Lanka captain mentioned.
“His achievement is tremendous, not just for the fact that it is 600 wickets, but also for what that entails in terms of effort, commitment and reinvention.”
Three spinners are ahead of James Anderson in the all-time list of highest Test wicket-takers. They are Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan who has 800, Australia’s Shane Warne who has 708 and India’s Anil Kumble who has 619. They have all retired from international cricket.
“He has set a record for current and future pace bowlers to chase, but it may just be one record that will be Jimmy’s and Jimmy’s alone,” said Sangakkara, a former wicketkeeper-batsman who appeared in 134 Tests and was Sri Lanka’s captain when they lost the 2011 World Cup final to India in Mumbai.
“It was my great privilege to play against him and I now share with you the enjoyment of watching him from beyond the boundary rope for as long as he may continue.“
Among those continuing is his new ball colleague teammate Stuart Broad who has 514 Test wickets. Both retired pacers Glenn McGrath who has 563 wickets and West Indies Courtney Walsh has 519 wickets are pacers with more than 500 Test wickets in their bag.
Kumar Sangakkara’s Term Extended By One Year
Kumar Sangakkara is the first president from abroad in the 233-year-old history of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the owners of London’s Lord’s Cricket Ground. By tradition, MCC presidents serve for just one year.
“I would like to thank you (the MCC membership) for your support in granting an extension to my term as president,” Sangakkara wrote in acknowledgement.
But with no internationals being played at Lord’s in 2020 because of Covid-19 pandemic Saturday will witness the venue’s first match of the season when Middlesex play Kent in an English domestic Twenty20 as Kumar Sangakkara’s time in office has been extended by 1 year.