Twitter Reacts As James Anderson Becomes First Englishman To Take 500 Test Wickets 1

Sealing his reputation as arguably the greatest pacer from England, James Anderson, on Thursday (September 7), became the first English and only the sixth overall to reach the 500-wicket mark in the longest format of the game. The England pace spearhead achieved the monumental milestone when he clean bowled Kraigg Brathwaite with a beauty in the second innings of ongoing third Test at Lord’s. The 35-year old, meanwhile, could not have asked for a better venue to achieve the record. It was at the ‘home of cricket,’ where Jimmy made Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003. He took five wickets in the first innings.

Before the start of the game, the right-arm pacer needed three wickets to join the elite 500 club, and it seemed he would get it inside the few hours after the start of the play when he struck twice in the first session, removing the dangerous Kraigg Brathwaite for 10 and Kyle Hope for a duck. However, he went wicketless for the remainder of the innings and ended the long wait in the second innings.

Meanwhile, considering his fate with injuries, Anderson’s journey has been remarkable. Even before the start of this summer, there were apprehensions over his fitness but he has looked sharp throughout, and his performances are a proof of that. So far, he has taken 33 wickets this summer and is looking good to add more to his tally when Windies comes out to bat in the second innings.

“Five hundred wasn’t on my mind at the start of the summer – I knew over seven Tests I’d have to bowl very well and everything would have to go my way to get near it – so to be as close as I am to it is somewhere I didn’t expect to be,” he had said before the start of the game.

“I didn’t think I would play this much for England or get this many wickets. It is very surreal to think that I have achieved what I have achieved and I am thrilled that I have been able to play for so long and have the success I have had,” he had added.

Anderson, nevertheless, became only the third pacer after Windies’ Courtney Walsh and Australia’s Glenn McGrath to take 500 Test wickets. The other three in this list are Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, Australia’s Shane Warne, and India’s Anil Kumble.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Anderson’s incredible achievement:

https://twitter.com/BrettLee_58/status/906193329225736192

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