James Anderson takes his 1,000th first-class wicket with sensational ten-over spell that sees him remove SEVEN Kent batsmen… as England’s 38-year-old hits form ahead of India series this summer and Ashes Tests later this year
- Jimmy Anderson took the 1,000th wicket in first-class cricket of his career
- Heino Kuhn was the victim as the Englishman tore through Kent’s batsmen
- He finished his opening spell with remarkable figures of 10-5-19-7
- Earlier this summer Anderson became England’s most-capped Test player ever
James Anderson claimed the 1,000th first-class wicket of his career in Lancashire’s LV= Insurance County Championship game against Kent.
The 38-year-old seamer is already the most prolific wicket-taker in English Test history with 617, but now has another achievement to add to his CV.
In trademark fashion, Anderson claimed the wicket of Heino Kuhn with an outswinger that the Kent batsman could do nothing more than edge behind to wicketkeeper Dane Vilas.
Jimmy Anderson removed Heino Kuhn to take the 1,000th first-class wicket of his career
It was a remarkable spell for Lancashire, bowled fittingly from the James Anderson End
As well as being his 1,000th first-class wicket, it also brought up his five-wicket haul in the innings, and Anderson was bowling at the end named after himself at Emirates Old Trafford. He finished his spell with figures of 10-5-19-7.
The bowler made his first-class debut in 2002 and his Test bow came a year later against Zimbabwe at Lord’s.
He is fourth on the list of all-time wicket-takers in Test cricket and just the 14th player and fifth seamer to reach 1,000 first-class wickets this century.
The last fast bowler to reach the landmark was Andy Caddick in 2005.
The 38-year-old bowler made his Test debut for England against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2003
Earlier this summer, Anderson became England’s most-capped Test player, as he walked out for his 162nd match – a remarkable achievement for any player, let alone a fast bowler.
Speaking on that achievement and as he approached the 1,000-wicket milestone, Anderson believes the amount of cricket across different formats for players now means it will be difficult for bowlers in the future to match his numbers.
‘For a bowler to play this amount of games, I don’t know what the word is, but it’s a bit mind-blowing to me,’ Anderson said.
Earlier this summer he made his 162nd appearance in Tests – a new record for English players
‘It’s a lot of wickets and in this day and age, I don’t know if it’s possible to get that many first-class wickets anymore.
‘With the amount of cricket that’s played there doesn’t seem to be that longevity in bowlers and there’s loads of T20 cricket and whatever else going on around the world.
‘I’m just happy to still be here, to be honest. It does make me feel proud. I never imagined in a million years I’d get to this point. I don’t feel like I’ve played that many games. My body doesn’t feel old or tired.
‘I just absolutely love Test cricket, I’ve got a huge passion for it. Growing up, all I wanted to do is play Test cricket for England and I’m honoured I’ve been able to do it for this long.’