Stuart Broad’s special moment could so have easily have been an awkward one.
When he trapped Kraigg Brathwaite in front of the stumps, as England dodged the showers and raced to a series-clinching win in the third Test in Manchester against the West Indies, he did something he often forgets.
He turned, and appealed to the umpire. It had been plumb LBW so the question was as good as rhetorical. And it meant Broad was able to toast his 500th Test wicket.
In such situations, Broad has been known to forgo the question to the umpire bit, and opt instead for a “Celebrappeal”.
It has got him in trouble in the past, when he has been sent to the match referee’s room for disciplining.
Had that been the case on this occasion, the match referee would not have known whether to fine him, send him to bed without his dinner, or give him a high-five.
Dad Chris was lucky to be there to witness the moment in person, in his role as the ICC match referee.
It is only because of the unique, bio-secure measures, that he was able to officiate his son’s matches in a behind-closed-doors Test series.
When Broad picked up Brathwaite, he waved the ball in the direction of his dad’s office. Chris sheepishly waved back.
“It is a little bit of a shame that, after 12 or 13 years of playing, all the family and friends that have supported me round the world and come to games on great days and bad days, they can’t be here to give a little wave to,” Broad said in his TV interview after the hosts won the Test by 269 runs on day five.
“But it was great to have dad here. I’m sure my mum, sister, Mol [girlfriend Mollie King] and family were watching at home.
“And I turned around as well [after taking the wicket]. How good was that? I’ve been practicing that.”
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Top wicket takers in Tests
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TOP 10 TEST WICKET-TAKERS: 10) RANGANA HERATH (Sri Lanka) 433 wickets: A Test career that spanned nearly 20 years, Herath holds the record for the most wickets taken by a left-arm bowler. He took five wickets in an innings 34 times and secured nine 10-wicket match hauls in his 93 Tests, at an average of 28.07. Herath's best bowling figures were 9-127 against Pakistan in Colombo in 2014. He played his final Test in 2018. AFP -
9) KAPIL DEV (India) 434 wickets: Great Indian all-rounder who is the only player in the history to have taken more than 400 wickets and scored more than 5,000 runs in Tests. Dev took five wickets in an innings 23 times and secured two 10-wicket match hauls in his 131 Tests, at an average of 29.64. His best bowling figures of 9-83 came against the West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983. Dev played his last Test in 1994. Getty -
8) DALE STEYN (South Africa) 439 wickets: Ferocious Proteas quick-bowler who was No 1 in the ICC rankings for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. Steyn took five wickets in an innings 26 times and secured five 10-wicket match hauls in his 93 Tests, at an average of 22.95. His best bowling figures of 7-51 came against India in Nagpur in 2010. Steyn retired from Test cricket in 2019 to focus on shorter forms of the game. AFP -
7) STUART BROAD (England) 501 wickets: Fast-bowler who is still going strong for England aged 33, alongside old partner in crime James Anderson. Broad has taken five wickets in an innings 18 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 140 Tests. His best bowling figures of 8-15 came against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015. PA -
6) COURTNEY WALSH (West Indies) 519 wickets: Top of a very fine list of Windies' pacers and was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket. Walsh took five wickets in an innings 22 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 132 Tests, at an average of 24.44. His best bowling figures of 7-37 came against New Zealand in Wellington in 1995, when he also took 6-18 in the second innings. Walsh played his last Test in 2001. Getty -
5) GLENN McGRATH (Australia) 563 wickets: Remarkably accurate fast bowler who was at the heart of Australia's dominance of world cricket from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s. McGrath took five wickets in an innings 29 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 124 Tests, at an average of 21.64. His best bowling figures of 8-24 came against Pakistan in Perth in 2004. McGrath played his last Test in 2007. Reuters -
4) JAMES ANDERSON (England) 589 wickets: The fact Anderson is still going strong as a fast bowler in Test cricket, having made his debut in 2003, is testament to his skill and longevity. 'The Burnley Express' has taken five wickets in an innings 28 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 153 Tests, at an average of 26.85. His best bowling figures of 7-42 came against the West Indies at Lord's in 2017. PA -
3) ANIL KUMBLE (India) 619 wickets: No surprise that spinners occupy the top three slots. Not a prodigious spinner of the ball in the manner of Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan, but a formidably accurate bowler nonetheless. Kumble took five wickets in an innings 35 times and secured eight 10-wicket match hauls in his 132 Tests, at an average of 29.65. In 1999 against Pakistan in Delhi, Kumble famously claimed all 10 batsman in their second innings to finish with 10-74. English bowler Jim Laker is the only other player to achieve that feat in Test cricket. Kumble played his last Test in 2008. Getty -
2) SHANE WARNE (Australia) 708 wickets: Phenomenal leg spinner who, alongside McGrath, would help establish Australia's fearsome bowling attack when the team dominated world cricket. Warne took five wickets in an innings 37 times and secured 10 10-wicket match hauls in his 145 Tests, at an average of 17.32. His best bowling figures of 8-71 came against England in Brisbane in 1994. Warne played his last Test in 2007. Agency -
1) MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN (Sri Lanka) 800 wickets: A haul of wickets that will surely never be beaten. Although questions about the legality of his action - due to an unusual hyper-extension of his arm - have followed him throughout his career, there is no doubting Muralitharan's incredible talent. He was the first wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of the game and was capable of bowling marathon sessions, yet always appear to be on the attack. Murali took five wickets in an innings 67 times and secured 22 10-wicket match hauls in his 133 Tests, at an average of 22.72. His best bowling figures of 9-51 came against Zimbabwe in Kandy in 2002. Muralitharan played his last Test in 2010. Reuters
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Coincidentally, James Anderson’s 500th Test wicket had also been Brathwaite.
Broad said his long-term new-ball partner had predicted he would be his, too, during the Old Trafford Test.
“What makes it extra special is taking that sort of milestone wicket in a Test win that has led to a Test series win,” Broad said.
“You always remember moments as a player for winning games, so it does feel great to have done it leading to a win.”
Broad finished the game in fine style, too. He took the final wicket, that of Jermaine Blackwood, to seal a 10-wicket haul for him in the match and a 2-1 win in the series for England. Broad took 6-31 in the first innings and 4-36 in the second.
Despite being left out of the first match, Broad was named the player of the series, as he finished it with 16 wickets at an average just over 10.
It was the first time England had come from behind to win a three-match Test series on home soil since 1888.
Jason Holder, the defeated captain, said the capitulation after their heroic display in the first Test had been down to the touring side’s misfiring batting.
No West Indies player reached 50 in the third Test, as they were bowled out for 197 and then 129 by a rampant English seam attack.
“We still didn’t get the runs we had been looking for,” Holder said of the turnaround in the series.
“If we look back at our performances, we had plenty of starts. Quite a few players made half-centuries, or got into the 30s and 40s, and didn’t kick on.
“If we look at England, when Ben Stokes got in, he went big. When Dom Sibley got in, he went big. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that.”
