James Anderson 600 Test wickets: English pacer dismisses Azhar Ali to enter 600-wicket club

James Anderson 600 Test wickets: The veteran English seamer finally reached to the landmark figure in Test cricket.

After as many as three dropped catches off his bowling in the first innings, a significant loss of overs due to rain, wet outfield and bad light and dismissing Pakistan’s captain and their most successful batsman in the match in Azhar Ali, veteran England seamer James Anderson has eventually become the first fast bowler to pick 600 Test wickets.

Coming on the back of his 29th Test five-wicket haul in the first innings, Anderson achieved the landmark figure on the second delivery of the 62nd over when Ali edged a quintessential wicket-taking delivery from Anderson to his counterpart Joe Root at first slip.

Coming in to bat at No. 3 in the 23rd over yesterday, Ali scored a patient 31 (114) with the help of two fours before earning the unwanted distinction of becoming Anderson’s 600th Test victim.

Anderson, 38, has become the fourth bowler ever to surpass the 600-wicket mark in Test cricket. Having quashed all retirement-related rumours only a couple of weeks ago, the right-arm bowler would be looking to surpass former India captain Anil Kumble (619) in the list of most wickets in Test matches.

As far as the match is concerned, it seems to be going towards a draw primarily because of the time lost to all the aforementioned factors. With seven wickets in hand, Pakistan would have to register a shambolic batting collapse to give England an unlikely victory.

James Anderson 600 Test wickets

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