Right-arm England seamer Stuart Broad joined fellow countryman and pace bowler James ‘Jimmy’ Anderson in the 500 Test Wickets club yesterday, dismissing West Indian opening batsman Kraig Braithwaite on the last day of the third and final test at Manchester’s crowdless, covid-secure Old Trafford stadium. It spearheaded the hosts impressive 269 run win and secured a 2-1 series victory. Stuart, in his 140th test was not only the Player of the Match with bowling figures of 6/31 and 4/36 and a rapid-fire first innings 62 off 45 deliveries, but he was also named Player of the Series. He is only the second English bowler behind Jimmy to reach such a milestone and joins an elite group of only seven cricketers who have taken over 500 test wickets.

In a nice piece of symmetry, Jimmy’s 500th wicket was also the same batsman, on the second day of the Third Test against the West Indies at Lords in September 2017, in his 129th test match. Stuart and Jimmy are presently the most successful fast bowling pair in world cricket, their credentials with the red ball are unmatched. Jimmy’s 589 test wickets from 153 matches are the most by any fast bowler and places him fourth on the all-time wicket-taking list behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Australia’s Shane Warne (708) and India’s Anul Kimble (619) but ahead of Australian Glen McGrath (563), Courtney Walsh (519) from the West Indies and now Stuart (501).

He signed my drawing at the Headingly Cricket Ground in Leeds in August last year during the Ashes series against Australia. Stuart signed his sketch at the Oval on the last day of the fifth and final test against India in September 2018.