Burnley Express James Anderson creates history by becoming first fast bowler to reach 700 wickets

The 41-year-old reached the landmark by dismissing India’s Kuldeep Yadav on day three of the fifth Test in Dharamsala.

Anderson, nicknamed the ‘Burnley Express’, is third on the list of all-time wicket-takers behind spinners Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Australia's Shane Warne.

He’s eight wickets away from matching Warne in second place.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was among the first to congratulate Anderson on reaching the milestone.

“The first time I saw Anderson play was in Australia in 2002 and his control over the ball looked special,” he wrote on X.

“Nasser Hussain spoke very highly of him back then and today, I am sure, he would say, “Maine bola tha” — that he had called it so early.

“700 test wickets is a stellar achievement. A fast bowler playing for 22 years and performing so consistently to be able to take 700 wickets would have sounded like fiction until Anderson actually made it happen. Simply magnificent!”

Compatriot and close friend Stuart Broad is the closest pace bowler on the all-time list, claiming 604 before his retirement last July.

The duo are the only pace bowlers to reach 600, with Australia's Glenn McGrath previously holding the record at 563, which Anderson passed in 2018.

Anderson has reached the milestone in 187 Tests, at an average of 26.52.

"It is a superb achievement," Alastair Cook said on TNT Sports.

"His hunger to get better is unbelievable. The physical challenges he has overcome to be able to play nearly 190 Test matches is a joke."