England's James Anderson becomes first-ever fast bowler to take 600 Test wickets

England's James Anderson has created history by becoming the first-ever fast bowler to take 600 wickets in Test cricket. The 38-year-old achieved the feat during England's third test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl cricket ground in Southampton on August 25, 2020/

During the beginning of the third test, Anderson was seven wickets away from the historic feat. He, however, reached the milestone on the 5th day of the Test when he dismissed Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali to claim his 600th wicket.

The third test ended in a draw but England won the series 1-0 against Pakistan due to its three-wicket victory in the first test at Old Trafford in Manchester. The second test at Southampton had also ended in a draw. 

Anderson's record-breaking feat was hailed by the entire cricket fraternity with many coming out and congratulating the bowler on achieving the huge milestone through posts on twitter.

Some of the prominent names included Indian skipper Virat Kohli, former Indian skipper and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, West Indies cricket great Vivian Richards, legendary Pakistani bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram and members of "600 club" Shane Warne and Anil Kumble. 

Following are some of the tweets:

Congrats on the 600th Jimmy - Aweosme effort buddy 👍 pic.twitter.com/VWflgISbKv

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) August 25, 2020

Congratulations @jimmy9 on your 600 wickets! Massive effort from a great fast bowler. Welcome to the club 👍🏼

— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) August 25, 2020

Champion bowler James Anderson! Congrats on reaching the first-ever 600 wickets for a fast bowler.. hard work, passion and never-day-die approach have been the hallmark of your career.. doyen of fast bowlers, best wishes for the rest of your career @jimmy9

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) August 25, 2020

Congratulations @jimmy9 for this outstanding achievement of 600 wickets. Definitely one of the best bowlers I've faced.

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 25, 2020

Incredible 600 by @jimmy9 . What an amazing achievement. Playing 156 Test Matches for a medium fast bowler is no less achievement. Cheers mate. #JamesAnderson #600TestWickets #England pic.twitter.com/dVFMqPvuwA

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) August 25, 2020

Well done james Anderson @jimmy9 .. this milestone is just greatness ..156 test matches as fast bowler is just unthinkable..u will make every young fast bowler believe that greatness is achievable .@bcci @ECB_cricket

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) August 25, 2020

Congratulations @jimmy9. What a splendid record to have. More power to you 👊🏼 https://t.co/EmpxuBzdrL

— Sir Vivian Richards (@ivivianrichards) August 25, 2020

What is the 600 club?

The term "600 club" is used to refer to the bowlers who have taken 600 or more wickets in the longest format of the game-Test cricket. Including James Anderson, only four bowlers have crossed the 600-wicket mark in Test cricket till now and they are:

1. Muttiah Muralitharan- 800 wickets

2. Shane Warne- 708 wickets

3. Anil Kumble-619 wickets

4. James Anderson- 600 wickets

James Anderson- New records

• James Anderson has now become the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the longest format of the game, only behind Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble.

• He is the highest wicket-taker for England in Test cricket. Stuart Broad is the second-highest wicket-taker for England in Test cricket with 500 Test wickets. 

• Anderson, who has played 156 tests, is also just a couple of matches away from becoming the most capped Test player for England. Currently, the record is held by former skipper Alastair Cook, who has played 161 Tests.