James Anderson becomes the first cricketer in the history of sport to play 100 Tests on home soil. Anderson achieved the record in the ongoing second Test of the three-Test series against South Africa. His 100th Test appearance in home conditions was recorded in the overcast conditions of Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester.
So far, 72 players have played 100 or more Test matches but none has achieved the mind-boggling feat at home. The second on the list is legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar (94) followed by former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting (92) and Anderson's teammates, Stuart Broad (91) and Alastair Cook (89).
Currently, Anderson is only behind Tendulkar on the list of most Tests. Tendulkar retired after playing 200 Tests while Anderson is playing his 174th.
The 40-year-old has most wickets for a fast bowler in the format. Also, he is third on the list of all-time highest wicket-takers behind legendary spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. No other fast bowler comes close to his tally of wickets.
In the overcast conditions, Anderson opened the bowling and got his first wicket of the Test in the third over he bowled. Proteas opener Sarel Erwee edged one and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes took a regulation catch. It was also his 421st Test wicket at home.
Anderson's achievement is a highly impressive one as most fast bowlers are not able to stay fit enough to play even 100 Tests, let alone come close to the mark at home. From the current lot of fast bowlers, only Broad and Ishant Sharma have played more than 100 Tests. With the introduction of T20 cricket, some fast bowlers even leave Test cricket to increase the longevity of their career. On the other hand, Anderson left white-ball cricket to focus solely on the longer version of the game.
