3 reasons why James Anderson's 700 Test wickets might never be achieved by another pacer
England speedster James Anderson scripted history on Day 3 of the final Test against India in Dharamshala on Saturday, March 9, by becoming the first-ever fast bowler to take 700 Test wickets. He reached the landmark early on Day 3 after nicking off Kuldeep Yadav with a fullish-length away swinger.
Having made his Test debut way back in 2003 against Zimbabwe, the 41-year-old continues to impress even in the twilight of his career. A bowler with supreme skill sets, Anderson came into the final Test with 698 scalps to his name. He castled Shubman Gill on Day 2 with a reverse swinging delivery and managed to breach the 700 mark with Kuldeep's wicket.
Anderson is just nine wickets away from breaking Shane Warne's tally of 708 Test wickets. With spinners dominating the list, this is the first time a fast bowler has taken 700 wickets.
The next best is Glenn McGrath with 563 scalps to his name. This suggests how difficult it is for a fast bowler to bag the amount of wickets Anderson has.
On that note, here are three reasons why no fast bowler will likely breach the 700 mark in Tests:
#1 The longevity of James Anderson
Playing for twenty years at the international level as a fast bowler is a phenomenal achievement. At 41, Anderson still looks extremely fit and could easily play for a couple more years. He played four of the five Tests in India and bowled plenty of overs.
Anderson has already played 187 Test matches, second only to Sachin Tendulkar (200). It's never easy to manage the workload of a fast bowler but the England think tank has managed this beautifully and Anderson himself has worked very hard on his fitness.
In the history of Test cricket, we haven't seen any fast bowler play anywhere close to the number of matches Anderson has. And with Test cricket taking a back seat, it is highly unlikely that another fast bowler will do so.
#2 Fast bowling quality has dipped considerably in recent years
Anderson is one of the most skillful bowlers going around. The ability to swing the ball both ways with the new and the old ball, in any conditions, makes him a special bowler. Over the years, Anderson has gone from strength to strength and has established himself as one of the finest fast bowlers the game has seen.
In recent years, we have seen a significant dip in the quality of fast bowling. Barring the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins, not many can match up to Anderson's skill set. We are unlikely to see a fast bowler of Anderson's class anytime soon, so the record of 700 Test wickets will likely stand the test of time.
#3 Test cricket has taken a backseat in the recent past
Barring the big three of cricket — India, England and Australia, all the other teams in the World Test Championship have been playing just two or three-match Test series. There is a significant difference between the number of matches played by these three teams and the rest.
While taking 700 Test wickets is a special feat, Anderson had to play 187 matches to reach the landmark. Playing so many Tests in the modern era is improbable, meaning Anderson's record of 700 wickets is unlikely to be broken by a fast bowler.