Anderson Gets To 600 Wickets As England Clinch Test Series

Anderson’s achievement has been 17 years and 156 appearances in the making, a journey that started when he dismissed Zimbabwe’s Vermeulen in 2003

England paceman Jimmy Anderson became the first fast bowler to reach 600 wickets in Test cricket before the third and final test against Pakistan finished as a draw on Tuesday, leaving the home side to celebrate a second series victory of the pandemic-disrupted summer.

Less than two hours of cricket were played on a rain-affected Day 5, with England taking just two of the eight wickets needed to win the match at the Rose Bowl after Pakistan resumed on 100-2 and trailing by 210 runs.

The big consolation was Anderson took one of them, removing Pakistan captain Azhar Ali to join retired spinners Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble in the “600 club” in Tests.

England won the series 1-0, with its three-wicket victory in the first test in Manchester followed by two drawn tests in Southampton. It was a first series triumph over Pakistan since 2010 and a second of the summer after beating the West Indies 2-1.