‘Extraordinary’ Anderson earns global praise

FORMER England captain Sir Andrew Strauss hailed the “extraordinary” James Anderson after the England seamer became the first pace bowler to take 600 Test wickets.

The 38-year-old is the fourth player to have claimed 600 wickets and he did it in just six deliveries more than Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who was the quickest to the achievement.

Anderson took his first Test wicket in May 2003 when he bowled Zimbabwe opener Mark Vermeulen and 17 years later he bagged his 600th.

Strauss said: “It’s a great relief to all of us it’s happened. A special moment for him. 600 priceless rewards for 17 years of hard craft and toil for James Anderson. It’s a great achievement.

“He’s been extraordinary. His longevity – to play 156 Tests is extraordinary for any player, let alone a fast bowler.

“His record keeps getting better and better. We should be wary of saying he’s approaching the end. He’s fit and healthy and still has the motivation to keep playing.”

Former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne, one of the men to also achieve the feat, echoed the sentiments of Strauss.

Warne, who bagged 708 victims in 145 Tests, said in commentary on Sky Sports Cricket: “What a moment, what a very proud moment for Jimmy Anderson and for his family and his team-mates and everyone else involved in England cricket.

“It’s an outstanding achievement from Jimmy Anderson, and his longevity, and he should be extremely proud of what he has just done. 156 Test matches is a lot of games.”

Glenn McGrath is the second most successful fast bowler in Test history with 563 wickets and he wished he had the ability to move the ball the way Anderson has throughout his career.

He said “Looking through my career, the two that really stand out skill wise is Jimmy and Wasim Akram. What they can do with the ball, to swing it both ways, it’s a real art form. I wish I could have done a bit more with the ball than I did. I didn’t have the skill level that Jimmy has.”

Former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar tweeted: “What an incredible achievement @jimmy9! Many congratulations on your feat. 600 wickets in Test Cricket over a span of 17 years for a fast bowler is a testament to your grit, perseverance and accurate bowling.”