Death, taxes, and James Anderson breaking records are three certainties in life. Well, by tomorrow, the third might not be a certainty. Unfortunately for cricket fans, the legendary pace bowler will soon leave the sport for good. But he isn’t willing to go out without a bang. In his farewell Test, the 42-year-old has become just the 4th bowler in history to bowl 40,000 balls in Test cricket.
On Day 2 of the England vs West Indies 1st Test, Anderson broke the record after bowling his 10th over of the day. He becomes the first pacer to get to the mark, joining other greats of the game: Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Most balls bowled in Test cricket history
| Player | Matches | Balls | Overs | Maidens | Wkts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 133 | 44039 | 7339.5 | 1794 | 800 |
| Anil Kumble | 132 | 40850 | 6808.2 | 1576 | 619 |
| Shane Warne | 145 | 40705 | 6784.1 | 1761 | 708 |
| James Anderson* | 188 | 40000 | 6666.5 | 1728 | 703 |
| Stuart Broad | 167 | 33698 | 5616.2 | 1304 | 604 |
As has been the case on multiple occasions during the last decade, Anderson ended up being England’s best bowler. He had a miserly economy of 1.1, and half of his 10 overs were maidens. It was he who provided the first wicket, and that too in spectacular fashion. Just like he’d done to get his 500th wicket, he clean-bowled West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite with a jaffa to get things going. Although it was his last over of the day in which he bowled his 40000th Test ball, moments before he broke another record.
Most balls bowled in cricket history
The pacer also became the first fast bowler to bowl 50,000 balls in cricket history. Strangely, he reached the magical number in his 400th and last international match for England.
| Player | Mat | Balls | Wkts |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 495 | 63132 | 1347 |
| Anil Kumble | 403 | 55346 | 956 |
| Shane Warne | 339 | 51347 | 1001 |
| James Anderson* | 400 | 50000 | 987 |
| Daniel Vettori | 442 | 43661 | 705 |
He also went past Kapil Dev to become the second-most successful pacer against the West Indies in Test cricket. Although Glenn McGrath holds the record for most wickets against the nation, Anderson now moves to the second spot. Among active players, only Ravichandran Ashwin is close to that number with 75 wickets.
Most wickets against West Indies in Tests
110 – Glenn McGrath
90 – James Anderson*
89 – Kapil Dev
86 – Fred Trueman
82 – Muttiah Muralitharan
*= currently playing
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