TIMELINE: Five great James Anderson moments and test wickets

England great James Anderson's extraordinary 21-year test career will end this week when the paceman bows out in the series opener against the West Indies at Lord's.

AFP Sport looks back at five standout moments from the 41-year-old Anderson's previous 187 tests, which have yielded 700 wickets so far.

FIRST OF MANY

Everyone has to start somewhere and for Anderson his first test wicket came on debut against Zimbabwe at Lord's in May 2003, when the then 20-year-old produced a superb ball that clipped the top of Mark Vermeulen's off stump.

ASHES DOUBLE-STRIKE

An Ashes triumph against arch-rivals Australia remains the yardstick by which many England cricketers are judged, particularly if that success takes place "Down Under".

Since the end of World War II, England have won just five Ashes series in Australia.

One of those was in 2010/11, when England, having drawn the first test in Brisbane, won the second at Adelaide after Anderson had Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke both edging to second slip Graeme Swann.

England won that match by an innings and 71 runs and the series 3-1, with Anderson taking 24 wickets across the five tests.

TRIUMPH OVER TENDULKAR

Getting the better of India's Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history, would be a sweet success at any time and doing so in India all the more so.

Yet Anderson dismissed the "Little Master" on a spinners' pitch at Kolkata's Eden Gardens in December 2012 when he found the outside edge of Tendulkar's bat, although it needed a good low catch by wicketkeeper Matt Prior to complete the dismissal.

It was just one of several contributions Anderson made to England's 2-1 series win – the last time any visiting team has won a test series in India.

CLARKE CLEANED UP FOR A DUCK

Michael Clarke was one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation but in July 2013 at Trent Bridge Anderson came out on top after a brilliant wobble seam delivery took the top of the off stump as the Australia captain was bowled for a duck.

Anderson took 10 wickets in the match as England sealed a thrilling win that helped them retain the Ashes.

SHAMI STRIKE LETS COOK GO OUT ON A HIGH

Of all his England captains, Anderson was perhaps closest to Alastair Cook and the pair's friendship was evident for all to see when the opening batsman played his last test, against India at The Oval in 2018.

Cook bowed out in fairytale fashion with a second-innings hundred while Anderson became the most successful fast bowler in test history, overtaking Australia's Glenn McGrath, when he rounded off a 4-1 series win by bowling tailender Mohammed Shami for his 564th test wicket.

TEST WICKETS TIMELINE

England great James Anderson will play his 188th and last test before retirement against the West Indies at Lord's this week.

No other fast bowler has taken more than the 41-year-old's 700 test wickets, with only spinners Shane Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800) ahead of Anderson in the all-time list.

Here, AFP Sport looks at the landmark wickets of Anderson's remarkable test career:

TEST WICKET NO 1: Mark Vermeulen (ZIM), Lord's 2003:

A perfectly pitched off-cutter proves too much for the opener and test debutant Anderson is up and running.

TEST WICKET NO 100: Jacques Kallis (RSA), The Oval 2008:

A back-up bowler in the early years of his test career, Anderson eventually becomes the leader of England's attack and reaches an important landmark when he has star allrounder Kallis lbw for two.

TEST WICKET NO 200: Peter Siddle (AUS), Perth 2010/11

By now a cornerstone of the England side, Anderson brings up his double century of wickets in the team's only defeat in an otherwise triumphant Ashes series when an outswinger does for Siddle.

TEST WICKET NO 300: Peter Fulton (NZL), Lord's 2013

Another outswinger, another edge to the slips that sets up a five-wicket haul, proves too much for the towering Fulton – dubbed 'Two-metre Peter'.

TEST WICKET NO 384: Denesh Ramdin (WIS), Antigua 2014/15

Anderson surpasses Ian Botham as England's most successful bowler in test cricket when West Indies wicketkeeper Ramdin edged a leg-cutter to first slip.

TEST WICKET NO 400: Martin Guptill (NZL), Headingley 2015

Anderson joins increasingly elite company when Guptill nicks off to Ian Bell at second slip. The same over also sees Anderson take his 401st test wicket when he dismisses star batsman Kane Williamson.

TEST WICKET NO 500: Kraigg Brathwaite (WIS), Lord's 2017

A massive inswinger proves too much for Brathwaite, who will be West Indies' captain at Lord's this week, with Anderson going on to take career-best figures of 7-42 at the age of 35.

TEST WICKET NO 564: Mohammed Shami (IND), The Oval 2018

Anderson become the most successful fast bowler in test history by breaking Australia great Glenn McGrath's mark of 563 wickets when cleaning up India tailender Shami at The Oval to seal a 4-1 series win.

TEST WICKET NO 600: Azhar Ali (PAK), Southampton 2020

A match played behind closed doors because of the Covid-19 pandemic threatened to prove frustrating for Anderson when a combination of rain and four dropped catches on the last day threatened to leave him on 599 wickets before he induced an edge off Azhar that was held in the cordon.

TEST WICKET NO 700: Kuldeep Yadav (IND), Dharamsala 2024

In sight of his 42nd birthday, Anderson broke yet more new ground for a paceman when he had Kuldeep caught behind off a thin edge.