James Anderson, an England great, will retire as one of just the three bowlers in the coveted 700- wicket club in the red-ball format and has a realistic shot at surpassing Shane Warne’s tally of 708 scalps in his final Test. Anderson’s longevity as a professional cricketer is admired by the cricketing fraternity, and his commitment to fitness was evident in the sliding save he pulled off at the boundary rope following a quick sprint.
Bowling for the final time in Test cricket, Anderson was as disciplined as ever and swung the ball both ways, kicking off his spell with maidens to Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis. He soon flummoxed Brathwaite to have him bowled, dismissing the West Indies captain for the eighth time in Tests.
Despite being hit for a few fours towards the end of his first spell, Ben Stokes had impressive figures of 2 for 25 in 10 overs, including four maidens. Even after his lengthy grind with the ball, Stokes was agile on the field and nearly ran out Jason Holder with an excellent bit of fielding.
In what turned out to be the last over before the close of play, Atkinson peppered Holder with bumpers and got his reward to push West Indies right onto the backfoot.