James Anderson ends Test career with 704 wickets as England thrash West Indies at Lord’s

Greatest fast bowler James Anderson’s Test career ended with England’s win over West Indies by an inning and 114 runs in the first Test at the Lord’s in London. Anderson bows out as the third-highest wicket-taker with 704 wickets, the most for a pacer in the format’s history. However, the star of this match was debutant Gus Atkinson, who picked 12 wickets, including a seven-wicket haul in the first innings and a five-for in the second.

James Anderson returned with just one wicket in the first innings and three in the second. Though the touring side missed out on giving Anderson a guard of honour (while batting) because the players were busy celebrating the previous dismissal, all 21 players from both teams, gave him an emotional guard of honour ahead of day three play.

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The right-arm seamer, the most successful in all of cricket, walked out of the Lord’s Long Room to perhaps the loudest cheer of the day before walking through the passage on his final appearance as a Test cricketer.

Early on day three, Anderson picked the first of the four remaining wickets of the keeper batter Joshua Da Silva, caught behind on nine before Atkinson picked three to get past ten-wicket haul for the game.

Anderson’s final Test wicket –

Bazball on top against West Indies

Already under pressure for remarks over their ultra-attacking style of play, with the foreign media, mainly Australia highlighting it, Ben Stokes guided the team to a comfortable win in the first home summer Test. 

Bowling first at Lord’s, England ran riot by dismissing West Indies on a mere 121 inside two sessions, with right-arm seamer Atkinson picking seven for 45 in 12 overs. 

England’s first innings had five half-centurions, including another debutant and keeper batter, Jamie Smith, who scored 70. Opener Zak Crawley was their highest run-scorer with 76 off 89 balls. With a lead of 250, England was in a comfortable position to take this game home.

They began the second inning on a fantastic note, dismissing six wickets under 80 before stumps were taken on day two. Captain Stokes’ two wickets saw him enter an elite list of all-rounders who have achieved the double of 6000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests. 

James Anderson finished his glorious Test career with 188 matches, the second-most for any cricketer; only India’s Sachin Tendulkar leads the chart with 200 Tests. Anderson also picked 704 wickets, the third-most for any bowler and the most for a pacer in the red-ball format.

The right-arm seamer’s economy reads 2.79, while his bowling average is 26.45. Anderson picked 32 five-fors and three ten-wicket hauls, with his career-best figures of seven for 42.