Stuart Broad reveals Anderson had told him that Kraigg Brathwaite would be his 500th scalp

James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been bowling in tandem for England for over a decade and have been their best bowlers in the longest format of the game. In fact, both of them stopped playing white-ball cricket in order to prolong their respective Test careers. On Tuesday, Broad picked up his 500th Test scalp when he had Kraigg Brathwaite plumb in front of the wicket. Coincidentally, his new-ball partner Anderson had also accounted for Brathwaite three years ago. However, Stuart has come forward and revealed it was Jimmy who had told him that Kraigg Brathwaite would be his 500th scalp in red-ball cricket. This had happened during the warm-up session on Day 5.

'Jimmy told me in the warm-up': Stuart Broad 

“What a stat that is. Jimmy told me in the warm-up, ‘you know who it’s going to be’ and then told me his 500th victim was Brathwaite. The stars have to be aligned for that to happen! I think that’s going to be a quiz question for many years to come,” said Broad during the post-match interview to Sky Sports.

 

Broad picks up his 500th Test scalp

Stuart Broad became the seventh bowler in the history of the game to register 500 scalps in red-ball cricket on Day 5 of the series-deciding third Test match at the Old Trafford in Manchester. He achieved this feat after having dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite. Broad achieved this feat in his 140th Test appearance.

Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (709), Anil Kumble (619), James Anderson (589), Glenn McGrath (563) and, Courtney Walsh (519) are the bowlers who have achieved this feat in the longest format. 

The moment of glory

It happened in the 14th over of Windies' second innings. On the third ball of that over, the tall pacer had bowled a fuller delivery outside off stump as it kept low after pitching. Brathwaite looked to defend the ball but was rapped on the pads as the hosts started appealing straightaway. The on-field umpire had no hesitation in raising his finger as the replays showed that the ball would have hit the wickets. There were no heated or aggressive celebrations from Stuart as all he did was raise both his arms in delight. 

The tall pacer had taken six wickets in the first innings and four in the second as he finished with 10 scalps in the contest to help England register an emphatic win by 269 runs to win the three-match Wisden series trophy 2-1. The premier speedster was also very handy with the bat in the first innings where he scored an unbeaten quickfire half-century that took England to a formidable total of 369.

(Image Courtesy: AP)

READ: Stuart Broad Congratulated By Sachin Tendulkar, Fans On Twitter For 500 Test Wickets Feat