James Anderson passes 1,000 first-class wickets with career-best 7-19 for Lancashire against Kent

Bowling from an end named in his honour, James Anderson took career-best figures of seven for 19 to pass 1,000 first-class wickets as Lancashire bowled Kent out for 74 on the opening day at Old Trafford.

Anderson, who turns 39 this month, made his first-class debut back in 2002, with Surrey’s Ian Ward his maiden first-class victim.

Anderson came into this week’s match against Kent, his 262nd in first-class cricket, on 995, having endured a quiet start to the summer.

After the first day was washed out at Old Trafford, Kent’s stand-in captain Joe Denly bravely opted to bat first upon winning the toss.

Anderson picked up wickets in each of his first three overs, all of which were maidens. He had England team-mate Zak Crawley caught at second slip, Jordan Cox taken at first, then Ollie Robinson caught behind.

Anderson then bowled two wicketless overs before having Jack Leaning caught at second slip and Heino Kuhn caught behind to reach his 1,000th first-class wicket. The match was still not an hour old.

Still not done, Anderson picked up the wickets of Matt Milnes, strangled down the legside, and Harry Podmore, caught behind. With Danny Lamb picking up the wicket of Denly, Kent were in disarray at 34 for eight.

Anderson was finally hit for a boundary by a counter-attacking Darren Stevens – the only player on either side who is older than him – in the eighth over of his first spell, the figures from which were 10-5-19-7.

Anderson’s previous best figures in first-class cricket were seven for 42.

The last player in the English (and Welsh) game to reach 1,000 first-class wickets was Robert Croft in 2007, while Andy Caddick was the last seamer two years before that.

Anderson is the 216th bowler in the history of first-class cricket to take 1,000 wickets, but it is very possible that he will be the last, due to the reduction in the number of red-ball matches played globally, and the limits put on bowlers’ workloads.

He has 617 of these wickets in Test matches for England, placing him first among seamers and fourth among all bowlers in the all-time list.

With Anderson’s spell over, Stevens was dismissed by Lamb, who also picked up the last wicket to fall, James Logan.

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