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Jimmy Anderson
Jimmy Anderson, here against India in 2014, became the first England bowler to reach 400 Test wickets when he struck early against New Zealand. Photograph: Visionhaus/Corbis
Jimmy Anderson, here against India in 2014, became the first England bowler to reach 400 Test wickets when he struck early against New Zealand. Photograph: Visionhaus/Corbis

England’s Jimmy Anderson admits surreal feeling of 400 Test wickets

This article is more than 8 years old
Anderson took two wickets on first day’s play to pass milestone
Bowler credits Ben Stokes and Mark Wood for keeping him going

For Jimmy Anderson, becoming the 12th bowler to reach 400 Test wickets – and the first Englishman among them – was a surreal moment. The leader of Alastair Cook’s attack admits he will soon be considered over the hill but that day is being delayed by the rejuvenating effects of playing alongside an aggressive group of young cricketers.

Anderson reduced New Zealand to two for two at Headingley with the removal of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson, the first of which chalked up the latest milestone in the right-armer’s career. Now sitting four short of the 405 Test victims of West Indies’ great Curtly Ambrose – albeit 162 wickets behind the top-ranked seamer, Glenn McGrath, in fourth place – the Lancashire bowler is proud to be in such exalted company.

“It’s a nice feeling and it was a proud moment for me,” Anderson said. “It feels a bit surreal when you see the list of guys who have done it, guys I’ve watched and admired over the years. I knew it was there so it was nice to get it out the way early so I could try to concentrate on bowling. I’d rather do it at Old Trafford but it will do.”

Those early strikes did not stop the scoreboard ticking over like a fruit machine, with the tourists continuing their all-out attack approach from Lord’s and reaching 297 for eight. There has been a perceived change in England’s approach this summer too, with Anderson admitting the all-rounder Ben Stokes and the fast bowler Mark Wood have made the switch to Test cricket natural, not forced.

“The teams are both playing aggressive cricket,” Anderson said. “We kept trying to take wickets and kept attacking fields, so when we didn’t bowl well they punished us. The players we’ve got, like Mark Wood and Ben Stokes, are naturally attacking cricketers who want to take wickets – guys like that are moving us into playing that sort of cricket and fighting fire with fire.

“It’s been a good period for me and Stuart Broad; we’ve always relied on bowling economically but seeing these guys come in is quite a fresh feel to the side. It is rubbing off on us and it’s good for someone like me, who is almost over the hill. These guys give you a kick up the backside. You can’t help but admire the way they play.”

Another such free spirit is the New Zealand wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi who, on making his Test debut aged 34, was simply trying to enjoy the moment. Some 88 runs flew from his bat in just 70 balls in a crucial sixth-wicket partnership of 120 with Tom Latham and, while he claims his nerves were under control, the sight of the batsman before him – his captain, Brendon McCullum – carving his first ball for six did heighten the senses slightly.

“I may never play another Test so I would hate to go out there, feel nervous and not play my natural game,” said Ronchi, who came in for the injured all-rounder Corey Anderson and who is the first Luke to play Test cricket. “I was trying to enjoy the ride. You get a bit twitchy when Baz [McCullum] does that but that is how he is doing it right now. He plays some amazing shots and then he plays some other sort of shots. But he’s telling us to play freely and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

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