James Anderson becomes the first pacer to take 650 Test wickets

The 39-year-old English right-arm pacer James Anderson now became the first pacer and the third bowler to claim 650 Test wickets.

England are currently busy hosting New Zealand in the three-match Test series. While England won the first Test by five wickets, the visitors can’t afford another defeat in this Test series.

New Zealand have started strongly in the second Test at Nottingham while the hosts have also replied strongly and set a great finish of the game for the final day.

On the fourth day of the second Test, while New Zealand started their second innings of the match with a 14-run lead, English pacer James Anderson completed his 650 Test wickets in the first over of that innings.

The Blackcaps opener Tom Latham, who is currently leading the Kiwi team in the absence of Kane Williamson, made a mistake in the opening over of that innings by leaving a ball as Anderson’s in-swing delivery managed to hit the stumps. Dismissing New Zealand’s stand-in captain for only four runs, Anderson became the first pacer in history to claim 650 Test wickets.

However, Anderson became the third bowler in Test cricket history to manage 650 or more wickets.

Top 5 most Test wickets

(Stats updated till 13th June 2022)

James Anderson started his ongoing 171st Test match with 646 Test wickets. While the right-arm pacer bagged three wickets in the first innings of this Test, he achieved the milestone with his first wicket of the visitors’ second innings of the game.

Fastest to complete 650 Test wickets

(Stats updated till 13th June 2022)

Before the English pacer James Anderson, there was no other pacer to achieve even at least 600 Test wickets. Legendary Australian right-arm pacer is behind Anderson with 563 Test wickets in his career.  

Top 10 most Test wickets by the pacers

(Stats updated till 13th June 2022)

Also Read | Babar Azam records most consecutive fifties in international cricket