Anderson bowls his way into record books in England victory

JAMES Anderson took his last opportunity of The Oval Test to claim a famous piece of history as he completed England’s 118-run victory by becoming the world’s most successful pace bowler ever.

Anderson had laboured in vain throughout the final day of the Test summer, but was still going strong deep into the evening and clean-bowled India tailender Mohammed Shami to conclude England’s 4-1 Specsavers series success.

As the middle-stump cartwheeled backwards behind Shami, it was a moment of course which also took England’s all-time leading wicket-taker past Australia great Glenn McGrath to stand alone in fourth place on the alltime Test wicket takers standings with a career tally of 564 – the most for a fast bowler.

England had to hold their nerve to close out their win after KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant had threatened a world-record run chase.

Anderson was billed as the headline act, in search of the one wicket he still needed.

But until his late, late intervention, it was opener Rahul (149) and Pant (114) who lit up a slategrey final instalment before England bowled India out for 345.

The assumption was that soon enough someone, if not Anderson, would break India’s resolve and deliver England’s victory.

It took much longer than almost everyone expected, but eventually the ‘someone’ turned out to be Adil Rashid – who dismissed Rahul and Pant in successive overs after tea.

By then, thanks to a sixth-wicket stand of 205 in just under 45 overs, India had given themselves a chance to chase 464 - and therefore surpass the previous-best of 418 for seven by West Indies against Australia in Antigua 15 years ago.

Rahul’s defiant and stylish 118ball hundred set the tone, and 20-year-old Pant demonstrated his precocious shot-making talent with 14 fours and three mighty sixes in his maiden century from one delivery fewer than his partner.

India’s efforts were all the more remarkable after Anderson and Stuart Broad had reduced them to two for three the previous evening – in an innings which contained a combined one run from four specialist batsmen.

Heavy cloud cover greeted the morning resumption, and persisted almost throughout.

But if that appeared to be in England’s favour, an increasingly flat and slow pitch was not.

India were 298 for five at tea, with 166 more runs needed in 33 overs.

But if history beckoned at that point, it did so only briefly.

Joe Root persisted with the old ball and Rashid bamboozled Rahul. An over later, Pant was gone and England closed out the victory.