Lahiru Thirimanne nears THIS remarkable Sachin Tendulkar record courtesy James Anderson

The Sri Lanka vs England 2nd Test match went underway on Friday at Galle International Stadium. English speedster James Anderson, who picked up his 600th Test wicket last August, extended his tally to 603 wickets after wrecking up the Sri Lankan top order on Day 1 morning session. He accounted for the wickets of struggling opener Kusal Perera and No.3 batsman Oshada Fernando up front before sending well-set batsman Lahiru Thirimanne back to the pavilion.

Sri Lanka vs England 2nd Test: James Anderson celebrates wicket

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Sri Lanka vs England 2nd Test: Lahiru Thirimanne’s torrid run against James Anderson continues

Lahiru Thirimanne averages just 4.37 against James Anderson in Test cricket. Moreover, the premier English pacer has now dismissed the Sri Lankan opening batsman eight times in the longest format of the game. Having bowled exactly 30 overs to Thirimanne, Anderson has conceded just 35 runs, dismissing him eight times at an average of 4.37 across nine Test matches.

James Anderson has had equal success against his Ashes rivals Peter Siddle, Michael Clarke and David Warner as well as former Indian captain and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar. Anderson has dismissed Siddle 11 times in Tests and 27 of his overall 603 career wickets have come against Clarke, Warner and Tendulkar (nine each).

If Anderson gets Lahiru Thirimanne once again in the second innings of the Galle Test, the Sri Lankan opener will join Australian batsman David Warner and former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Clarke among Anderson’s most frequent scalps.

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As James Anderson continues his fine run with the ball, here is a look at all nine instances where he has successfully gotten the better of Sachin Tendulkar.

Video credits: Cricket Bunny YouTube

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James Anderson wickets in Test cricket

The James Anderson wickets tally in international cricket, especially in Tests, composes of some staggering numbers. The 38-year-old is currently the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket among all fast bowlers. Since his debut in May 2003, the pacer has picked 603 wickets across 157 Test matches for his country. The legendary cricketer also has an additional 269 ODI and 18 T20I wickets to his name for an overall international tally of 890 wickets.

Sri Lanka vs England 2nd Test updates

At the time of publishing, the Sri Lankan batsmen reached 155-3 after 53 overs. Trailing 0-1 in the two-match series, the hosts won the toss and opted to bat first.

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