SOUTHAMPTON (United Kingdom: England’s James Anderson moved to within three wickets of becoming the first fast bowler to take 600 in Tests on a rain-marred morning against Pakistan on Sunday.
Pakistan had slumped to 41-4 in reply to England’s mammoth first innings 583-8 declared, a deficit of 542 runs, when rain stopped play at 1114 GMT and led to an early lunch on the third day of the third Test.
Anderson, 38, had done all the damage in a superb return of 4-21 in 11 overs.
The only bowlers with more Test wickets than the Lancashire swing specialist’s haul of 596 are three retired spinners — Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Australia’s Shane Warne (708) and India’s Anil Kumble (619).
England, pressing for their first series win over Pakistan in a decade at 1-0 up in a match campaign, resumed in total command after Anderson had reduced the tourists to 24-3 on Saturday.
Even though they slumped to 11-2, Pakistan opted against a nightwatchman only for Anderson to have star batsman Babar Azam lbw for 11 with what turned out to be the last ball of Saturday’s play.
New batsman Asad Shafiq’s low run of scores continued as Anderson struck again on Sunday when the right-hander, on five, limply hung his bat outside off stump and edged to England captain Joe Root at first slip.
Pakistan were now 30-4, but almost as soon as Shafiq been dismissed rain stopped play for 25 minutes.
