'King of swing' James Anderson becomes first-ever fast bowler to claim 700 Test wickets

James Anderson has added another feather to his cap in his over two-decade-long career by becoming the first-ever pacer to claim 700 Test wickets on Saturday.

Anderson, during the fifth Test of the ongoing series against India, sent India's Kuldeep Yadav back to the dressing room to reach the milestone in his 187th Test.

Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is at the top of the all-time chart with 800 wickets from 133 Tests, followed by late Australia spin legend Shane Warne (708).

Upon reaching the milestone, the "King of swing" was given a standing ovation by the travelling "Barmy Army" fans as he led his team off the park at the innings break.

"At the foothills of the Himalayas, James Anderson has reached the insurmountable summit for a fast bowler in Test match cricket," former England bowler Steven Finn told the BBC.

"Nobody will ever take more than 700 Test wickets as a fast bowler. He's a remarkable man and player and he's still going."

Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar also lauded Anderson's "stellar achievement" on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"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," Tendulkar wrote.

Former England captain Alastair Cook also heaped praise on the right-arm pacer.

"I sat in a selection meeting 10 years ago and we were discussing ... when we were going to rest and rotate him because he can't keep playing all those Test matches," Cook said on TNT Sports.

"His hunger to get better and win games of cricket for England is unbelievable. The physical challenges he has overcome to be able to play 190 Test matches is a joke and his skill is a joke," he noted.