Mr.600 Jimmy Anderson’s record might never be broken, suggests Kumar Sangakkara

England’s James Anderson, on the final day of England’s third Test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl, scripted history by becoming the first and only pacer to have breached the 600-wicket mark in Test cricket, after dismissing Azhar Ali. Anderson, who is 38 years of age, reached the landmark in his 156th Test and, by doing so, became just the fourth bowler in the sport’s history, after Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne, to get to the coveted milestone.

The veteran quick has received plenty of plaudits since creating history and the latest person to heap praise on Anderson is former Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara. The 42-year-old, who is currently the MCC President, labelled Anderson’s achievement of taking 600 Test wickets ‘tremendous’ and suggested that it might be a record that might never be broken by any pacer ever.

"Jimmy is a fast bowler of immense skill and determination. His achievement is tremendous, not just for the fact that it is 600 wickets, but also for what that entails in terms of effort, commitment and reinvention,” Sangakkara was quoted as saying in an official release by the MCC.

"He has set a record for current and future pace bowlers to chase, but it may just be one record that will be Jimmy's and Jimmy's alone.”

Sangakkara featured in 22 Tests versus England, many of which involved Anderson, and the MCC President stated that it was a privilege for him to have played against the veteran pacer. The duo last squared off in a bilateral series in England in 2014 and incidentally, on that occasion, it was Sangakkara who came out on top, amassing scores of 147, 61, 79 and 55 in his four knocks in the series.

"It was my great privilege to play against him and I now share with you the enjoyment of watching him from beyond the boundary rope for as long as he may continue."

As things stand, Anderson’s teammate Stuart Broad (514 wickets) is the only active pacer with a realistic chance of breaking the 38-year-old’s record.