James Anderson Savours 'Nice Moment' as he Joins 400 Club in Test Cricket
Anderson, who started the second match against New Zealand with 399 Test wickets, needed just eight balls to reach the landmark on Friday when he had opener Martin Guptill well-caught for a duck by Ian Bell, who held a sharp chance above his head at second slip off a classic swinging delivery.
James Anderson said he had enjoyed a "nice moment" after becoming the first England bowler, and 12th overall, to take 400 Test wickets when he dismissed New Zealand's Martin Guptill on the first day of the second Test at Headingley on Friday. (Scorecard)
Anderson, who started this match with 399 Test wickets, needed just eight balls to reach the landmark on Friday when he had opener Guptill well-caught for a duck by Ian Bell, who held a sharp chance above his head at second slip off a classic swinging delivery.
Lancashire paceman Anderson, 32, achieved the milestone in his 104th Test.
No sooner had Anderson struck then rain, which washed out the morning session, returned to force a 10-minute stoppage.
But when the players returned, Anderson soon had his 401st Test wicket when Kane Williamson, who scored a century in England's 124-run first Test win at Lord's, was caught behind by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler for a duck.
Anderson had taken two wickets for no runs in three balls to leave New Zealand two for two in the third over of a match the tourists had to win to square the two-match series at 1-1.
At tea, Anderson -- who had figures of two for 28 in seven overs, with New Zealand now 123 for three -- told Sky Sports: "It was a nice moment for me, and nice to get it early on in the game.
"We've got a lot of hard work to do here but I can put my feet up and enjoy it at the end of this game."
England's spearhead bowler is now one of eight pacemen in a '400-club' list topped by retired Sri Lanka off-spin great Muttiah Muralitharan, who took a Test record 800 wickets in 133 matches from 1992-2010.
Most Test wickets (wickets, bowler, country, Tests, average, career span):
800 Muttiah Muralitharan SRI/ICC 133 22.72 1992-2010
708 Shane Warne AUS 145 25.41 1992-2007
619 Anil Kumble IND 132 29.65 1990-2008
563 Glenn McGrath AUS 124 21.64 1993-2007
519 Courtney Walsh WIS 132 24.44 1984-2001
434 Kapil Dev IND 131 29.64 1978-1994
431 Richard Hadlee NZL 86 22.29 1973-1990
421 Shaun Pollock RSA 108 23.11 1995-2008
414 Wasim Akram PAK 104 23.62 1985-2002
413 Harbhajan Singh IND 101 32.37 1998-
405 Curtly Ambrose WIS 98 20.99 1998-2000
401 James Anderson ENG 104 29.37 2003-
Note: Anderson's average prior to start of his ongoing 104th Test, against New Zealand at Headingley.