James Anderson takes 1,000 first-class wickets with a career best score of 7/19
James Anderson reached a remarkable milestone in his career on Monday, scalping his 1,000 th first-class wicket during Lancashire’s County Championship match against Kent at Old Trafford.
The 38-year-old, who is already the most prolific pacer in the history of Test cricket with 617 wickets, picked up his landmark wicket when he dismissed Heino Kuhn with a caught behind by wicketkeeper Dane Vilas.
With that wicket, he also completed his 51st first-class five-wicket haul. Two more wickets followed soon after as Anderson claimed career-best figures of 7/19 after 10 overs of trademark swing bowling for Lancashire.
After his magnificent spell of bowling, Anderson became the first man to reach 1,000 first-class wickets having begun his career since the turn of the century and the 216th overall. He made his first-class debut for Lancashire in 2002.
He became just the 14th player to reach 1,000 first-class wickets this century and just the fifth seamer after Andy Caddick (in 2005), Martin Bicknell (in 2004), Devon Malcolm (in 2002), and Wasim Akram (in 2001).
No other player has more first-class wickets than Anderson since his debut in May 2002. Tim Murtagh’s 856 wickets are the second-most by any player in this period.
Anderson also increased his tally of first-class wickets at his home ground of Old Trafford to 167 on Monday. His maiden wicket, 100th wicket, 200th wicket, 700th wicket, and 1000th wicket in first-class cricket all came at Old Trafford.
