A truly remarkable career reached a statistical stratosphere in Dharamsala when James Anderson became only the third bowler in Test history to breach the 700-wicket mark. It’s a staggering achievement at many levels. First of all, there’s the sheer longevity factor itself: only Sachin Tendulkar has played more Tests than Anderson’s 187; among fast bowlers, the next best is Stuart Broad with 167, but the third-highest is only 132, by Courtney Walsh.
It has helped, of course, that England play more Tests than any other team, but even so, it’s a monumental feat, and especially so for a fast bowler. With Anderson, though, it’s not just that he has played so many games; he has also maintained ridiculously high standards throughout his career, and in fact, improved his numbers as he has gone along, adding more skills to his armoury to make him a complete bowler in all conditions. His numbers in Asia are a shining testimony to that, and in that sense, it was quite fitting that he reached no. 700 in India, even if he wasn’t quite as prolific in this series itself.
Anderson’s progression to 700 showed how his numbers have improved in the second half of his career. Till wicket number 400, he averaged at least 27 in each of the four 100-wicket blocks; since then, it’s been under 25, with his best phase being from 400 to 500, when he averaged under 20.—INP
