Stats: James Anderson completes 500 wickets in Test cricket

James Anderson joined the elite list of players with 500 Test wickets during the ongoing Test match at the Lord’s against the West Indies. Thus Anderson, the only England player with more than 400 wickets, became only the 6th player and 3rd pace bowler to bag 500 wickets in Test history.

After swinging wicket less in the 2nd innings of the Leeds Test, Anderson came to Lord’s with 497 Test wickets on his name. He picked up first two in West Indies’ 1st innings but was stranded with 499 as Ben Stokes claimed six wickets to wrap things up. Anderson got another chance to take the milestone wicket in less than a day and the 35-year-old got there by cleaning up Kraigg Brathwaite with a beauty of a delivery.

Anderson has special moments associated with the Lord’s as the right-arm pacer picked up his maiden Test wicket, 50th wicket, 300th wicket and 350th Test wicket at this very venue. Interestingly, Glenn McGrath’s 500th Test wicket was also at Lord’s when he dismissed Marcus Trescothick in the 2005 Ashes Test.

Anderson, who got to the mark while playing his 129th Test match, became the joint slowest along with Courtney Walsh to complete 500 wickets in Test cricket. Walsh completed it in 236 innings while Anderson was ever slower taking 242 innings.

500th wicket in Test cricket of each player:

Muttiah Muralitharan stands at the top of leading the wicket-takers list in this format with 800 wickets. Among the pace bowlers, Glenn McGrath has the most number of Test wickets- 563. Anderson needs another 63 wickets to go past the Australian and become the leading wicket-taker. Among England players, Stuart Broad has the 2nd most wickets in the Test format with 390 of them to his name. He went past Ian Botham’s tally of 383 Test wickets during the day/night Test match at Edgbaston.

Most wickets for a player in Test cricket:

Most wickets for a pacer in Test cricket:

(Stats as on September 8, 2017, at the end of James Anderson’s 8th over)