ANTIGUA: England team’s fast bowler James Anderson has achieved milestone as he became the leading wicket-taker in English Test cricket history on Friday on the final day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
The bowler took the wicket of West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin to achieve the record. He leveled the previous record of 383 wickets set by former all-rounder Ian Botham earlier in the day when he bowled out Marlon Samuels.
That saw him reach 384 victims in what was already a celebratory 100th Test for the 32-year-old seam bowler. But that was as good as it got for Anderson and England as the West Indies, thanks to Jason Holder’s unbeaten 103 — the 23-year-old all-rounder’s maiden first-class, as well as Test hundred, held out for a draw.
“I’m hugely proud, great to have my family here as well and taking over from an English legend is a hugely proud moment for me.” Botham congratulated Anderson on social media via micro blogging site twitter, saying: “Great moment for Jimmy and his family….. Congratulations you deserve it …. Awesome !!”
Anderson, who made his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2003, has been England’s bowling spearhead for the past six years following the departure of key pacers like Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff from the international scene.
His 384 wickets have come at the respectable average of 29.77 and with England just embarking on a period of intense activity involving 17 Tests over nine months, Anderson will be expected to surge past the landmark of 400 wickets and eventually establish a national record that could be very hard to beat.
However, there are 13 bowlers above Anderson in the all-time list of Test wicket-takers, with Sri Lanka’s retired off-spin great Muttiah Muralitharan top of the pile on a tally of 800 wickets.
