Australia great Glenn McGrath has revealed he has doubts Jimmy Anderson‘s record haul of 564 Test wickets will ever be broken.
The England seamer passed McGrath in the Test wicket-taking charts to become the highest-placed pace bowler in history after the fifth Test against India at the Oval.
Anderson wrapped up the victory and a 4-1 series win with the capture of the tourists’ tailender Mohammad Shami to overtake McGrath, and the Australian is certain nobody among the current generation of pace bowlers can catch the Lancastrian.
“If there is anyone out there, they have got a long way to go,” McGrath said. “I don’t think we’ll see it happen in the next decade.
“Just to play enough games to get anywhere near it is tough in itself. Other than Jimmy (143), no other fast bowler in the history of the game has played more than 132 Tests.
“Also, the nature of cricket these days is that there is so much more Twenty20.
“The game is quicker, it’s faster. And will bowlers play enough Test cricket in the future to get anywhere near the mark?”
Anderson’s new-ball accomplice Stuart Broad is the closest rival to the 36-year-old’s tally on 433 wickets, while South Africa’s Dale Steyn will be ruing the slew of injuries which have interrupted his international career and limited him to 421.
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But for Anderson, does McGrath believe the 600-wicket milestone is within the veteran’s range?
“If he can raise the bar to 600 wickets, that’s an incredible effort,” said McGrath, who boasts an average of 21.64 compared to Anderson’s 26.84
“I was proud to hold it for as long as I did – for it to be beaten by somebody like Jimmy Anderson is great.
“I have a lot of respect for Jimmy. He’s been an incredible bowler for a long time.
“When it comes to the art of swing bowling, there is no-one better.”
