5 Records James Anderson Failed to Break in His Illustrious Test Career

As the illustrious career of the legendary James Anderson comes to an end following England’s dominant innings victory over the West Indies at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, there have been a plethora of records that the quick bowler managed to break during his red-ball career.

READ MORE: ‘Test Match Cricket Not an Exhibition’: Geoffrey Boycott Sends Harsh Reality-Check to Bazball

However, there were plenty more records that the pacer was unable to get past during his playing career and we will be looking at some of those feats that could be plaguing the mind of the veteran quick bowler.

Most wickets in Tests

The veteran pacer has had a fairly long playing career in the longest format, but Anderson still trails behind the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne among the highest wicket-takers in the format. Anderson looked to close the gap to Warne but was unlucky in not being able to get the necessary amount of wickets.

READ MORE: England’s Gus Atkinson Finds Himself Among Old Legends After Claiming 12-Wickets on Debut

Most matches in Test cricket

The English veteran is also 12 matches behind the Indian legend, Sachin Tendulkar who has 200 matches under his belt. Anderson, to his credit, still maintains the stance that he is good enough to play and the retirement was a forced one in many ways.

Most five-wicket haul in Tests

Anderson also finds himself trailing in the record books for the most amount of five-wicket hauls taken by a bowler in the longest format. The list has Muralitharan leading the charts followed by he likes of Shane Warne, Richard Hadlee, Ravi Ashwin, Anil Kumble and Rangana Herath. Anderson sits at seven on the list with 32 fifers.

Captain England in Tests

Captaining the national side is something almost every player strives for. But James Anderson never had the chance to lead the English side in his long career. However, there were moments where he did come close when he was appointed as the vice-captain of the side under Root’s leadership in 2019.

Most wickets in Ashes

In the historic Ashes series, James Anderson has had a fairly long period of competing in one of cricket’s oldest rivalries. But in the wicket-taking charts, it is his old compatriot, Stuart Broad that has pipped him to become the Englishman with the most wickets in the Ashes series. Broad stands at 153 wickets while Anderson has only 117. The former is third in the all-time wicket-taking charts in the Ashes while the latter sits at eighth.