The 34-year-old England pacer Stuart Broad recently became the seventh bowler to complete 500 Test wickets. As the Test cricket is tending lower, Broad is doubtful to see any other pacer to reach the 500 Test wickets milestone in future.
In the recently concluded Manchester Test, where the hosts England beat the West Indies by 269 runs, Stuart Broad completed his 500 Test wickets on the final day of the match after dismissing the Caribbean opener and Test vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite through lbw.
After taking the ninth wicket of that match, Broad became the second English bowler, fourth pacer and seventh overall bowler to complete 500 Test wickets. He is the slowest bowler (in terms of the match) to complete 500 Test wickets as the right-arm pacer managed to reach this milestone in 140 Tests.
As to complete 500 Test wickets, a bowler must have to play the Test cricket for a long time, Broad feels very lucky to achieve this feat. However, he also believes that it will be very hard to see any pacer is reaching this milestone in future due to changing the cricket culture.
After that Manchester Test, where Broad managed to claim his third ten-wicket haul in Test career, he said, “Someone is going to have to play a lot of cricket because there is a lot of competition out there, between different T20 leagues franchises, 100-ball. I feel very lucky to have played for England in an era where we’ve played a lot of Test cricket in the summer and a lot in the winter. I think there’s talk of thinning the amount of Tests we play in a summer down.
“You need a lot of Test matches to get 500 wickets. I think there’ll be people who have the talent to get the numbers but whether they’ll be able to play the amount of Test cricket the seam bowlers have to get that feat remains to be seen.”
There are no pacers currently active who have managed more than 350 Test wickets. However, in this most Test wicket-takers list among the current active bowlers, the Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon is behind of Broad with 390 Test wickets.
Stuart Broad about targeting to reach the 600 Test wickets mark
While the 37-year-old English pacer James Anderson (589 Test wickets) is approaching towards the 600 Test wickets, Broad feels that he can try to follow him as his current form is allowing it.
Broad claimed, “I’ve never even thought about that. (But) why not try and follow in Jimmy’s footsteps? He’s been wonderful to play with. If I keep bowling the way I am for the next few years then I wouldn’t rule anything out.”
Just a few weeks ago, when international cricket resumed with England vs West Indies Test at Southampton, Stuart Broad was dropped from the side. But he returned to the game in the next match and finished this Test series as the joint Player of the Series award winner (Caribbean cricketer Roston Chase was the other player to win this award).