[Watch] James Anderson claims 1000th first-class wicket bowling from end named after him

Veteran England fast bowler James Anderson has added another feather to his cap as he completed 1000 wickets in first-class cricket on Monday.

Anderson achieved the rare feat during Lancashire's County Championship clash against Kent in Manchester on Day 2 of the contest. The England legend claimed his 1000th first-class wicket when he had Heino Kuhn caught behind for a duck off a trademark outswinger.

What made his achievement even more special was the fact that the wicket was claimed bowling from the James Anderson End at Old Trafford. With the wicket, Anderson also completed a sensational five-wicket haul in the innings.

1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ first-class wickets @jimmy9 👏Anderson has taken a 5-fer in 7 overs 🐐Watch Anderson bowl here 👉 https://t.co/uJK9OLMTgs pic.twitter.com/j2535JaiAP

— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) July 5, 2021

After no play was possible on Day 1, Anderson got Lancashire off to a brilliant start on Day 2, dismissing both Kent openers Zak Crawley (0) and Jordan Cox (1) cheaply.

After completing his five-for and, simultaneously, reaching the 1000-wicket mark, Anderson added two more scalps to finish with sensational figures of 7 for 19 in 10 overs. Five of the 38-year-old pacer’s overs were maidens, as Kent crumbled to 74 all out in 26.2 overs.

Anderson is only the 14th player to claim 1,000 first-class wickets this century and only the fifth among pacers. Andy Caddick, Martin Bicknell, Devon Malcolm and Wasim Akram were the other pace bowlers to cross the 1000-wicket landmark before Anderson.

James Anderson on the verge of surpassing Anil Kumble

Anderson is the leading wicket-taker among pacers in Test cricket. In 162 Tests, the England great has claimed 617 wickets at an average of 26.67 with 30 five-fors and three 10-wicket match hauls.

Overall, he is fourth on the list of leading wicket-takers in Test cricket after Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619).

When he claims his third wicket in the upcoming Test series against India, Anderson will go past Kumble on the list of leading Test wicket-takers and move to the No. 3 spot.

During the Edgbaston Test against New Zealand last month, Anderson became England’s most-capped Test player, going past former England captain Alastair Cook, who finished his Test career with 161 caps.

😍 @jimmy9 has taken three early wickets Watch Anderson bowl here 👉 https://t.co/uJK9OLMTgs pic.twitter.com/FVNuzwzZKh

— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) July 5, 2021

Speaking on the massive achievement, Anderson stated that he didn’t think he was good enough after his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2003. Anderson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo:

"I thought I wasn't good enough. I thought it was a huge step up from county cricket. I remember Nasser [Hussain] didn't have a fine leg for me and I went for quite a few runs. My first ball was a no-ball as well so there were a lot of nerves there and I did feel like this was maybe a step too far for me at that point."

Apart from 600-plus Test wickets, Anderson also has 269 ODI scalps from 194 matches, also an England record for most wickets in the format.