McGrath: No one will go past Anderson's Test tally

England's James Anderson is poised to overtake Glenn McGrath as the fast bowler with the most wickets in Test match history.

Published : Aug 27, 2018 15:27 IST

Glenn McGrath does not believe James Anderson will ever be overtaken as the most prolific Test seamer of all time once he goes past his own record haul.

Australia great McGrath claimed 563 wickets over the course of 124 matches in the longest format – more than any fast bowler in Test history.

Anderson on 557, is just six away from that imposing mark as England prepares to face India in Southampton in this week's fourth Test, and McGrath is a huge fan of the swing maestro despite the long-established rivalry between their two countries.

"Jimmy Anderson deserves everything he gets and, even though he is an Englishman, I will be delighted for him when he goes past my record and becomes the most prolific fast bowler in Test history," he said in a column for the Daily Mail .

"I will be getting in touch with him as soon as he does to say well done. I have an awful lot of respect for Jimmy. Good luck to him. I believe once he goes past me he will never be beaten.

"Records are nice and I've been very proud to have taken more wickets than any fast bowler in Test history, but any high is there to be beaten and I will be equally proud of Jimmy when he goes past me because the fast bowlers' union has to stick together, whichever country we come from."

McGrath feels the proliferation of Twenty20 cricket and players' commitment to a variety of tournaments across the globe means Anderson will remain out in front.

"Once Jimmy goes past me it will be interesting to see where he wants to set the bar," he added.

"With the nature of the game these days, and the amount of Twenty20 cricket, I believe no fast bowler will ever go past him. I'm still very much hoping Test cricket will continue to be held in high regard by all young cricketers but will they be able to play the amount of games necessary and put in the effort required to go past Jimmy? I don't think so."

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