James Anderson says it feels "a bit surreal" to have become the first England bowler to reach 400 Test wickets.
Anderson joined an elite club containing just 11 other bowlers on the opening day of the second Investec Test against New Zealand when he snared Martin Guptill with his eighth ball of the day.
A fuller length delivery was easily pouched at chest height by Ian Bell standing at second slip to give England a wonderful start to the afternoon following a morning washout.
"It's a nice feeling, a proud moment for me, I guess," said Anderson.
"I don't know what else to say, it feels a bit surreal when you see the list up on the TV with all the guys who've got 400 in the past."
Anderson then claimed the wicket of dangerman Kane Williamson in the same over to vindicate Alastair Cook's decision to field first under cloudy skies at Headingley.
Despite losing two early wickets, the Black Caps continued to take the attack to England's bowlers, best characterised by Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum launching the first ball he faced over cover for six.
But having slumped to 144-5, opener Tom Latham and Test debutant Luke Ronchi's partnership of 120 put the Black Caps back on an equal footing.
Latham contributed 84 and Ronchi a blistering 88 from 70 balls as the tourists closed on 297-8 at a run rate in excess of four and a half an over.
New Zealand's aggression came as no surprise to Anderson and England, who claimed a 1-0 lead in the series earlier this week with a thrilling victory at Lord's.
"The game's moving forward, it's not a shock that they scored as they did," added Anderson.
"When we didn't bowl well they punished us. We've seen a bit of movement off the pitch, a tiny bit with the new ball, but if you get in on it you can score quite freely."
Anderson believes England's own approach has become more positive in recent months following the injection of youth into the side.
It is a step in the right direction according to the 32-year-old ahead of a mouth-watering showdown with Australia later in the summer.
"The players that we've got in the team, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes, they're naturally attacking cricketers and they want to take wickets," added Anderson.
"We've seen Test cricket move forward with New Zealand scoring at such a rate, Australia are going to be aggressive when they come over here and we're looking to play that same sort of cricket and fight fire with fire when it comes to that.
"It's been a good period for me and Stuart Broad. We've always relied on bowling economically but seeing these guys come in is quite a fresh feel to the side which is good, I think."