[caption id="attachment_6546" align="aligncenter" width="770"]
Image Credit - India Today[/caption]Believe it or not, it has been a sheer coincidence that the 500th scalp in Test cricket for Stuart Broad is none other than Kraigg Brathwaite. It is almost after 3 years that James Anderson finally entered the exclusive club by dismissing him.
Stuart Broad, the mainstay of English fast-bowling has revealed on Tuesday that James Anderson, who has been his partner-in-crime somehow had the eerie feeling that it is none other than Kraigg Brathwaite who is going to be his 500th Test wicket.
The intuition of Anderson came true after Brathwaite was sent back by Broad on Day 5 in the first session of the third and the final Test to rightfully become only the second English bowler to have bagged 500 Test scalps., with the only other English bowler being James Anderson.
It has just been another sheer coincidence that Brathwaite also happens to be the 500th Test victim of Anderson. The stats have even baffled Stuart Broad as he came to know about it at the end of the match as the series decider was won by England by a margin of 269 runs.
Brathwaite has been castled by Anderson during the decider match of the Test series between West Indies and England in 2017 at Lord’s to enter the elite club of 500 Test wickets. It took almost three years for Broad to tarp Brathwaite for a score of 19 to reach the milestone and become only the 7th bowler in the history of Test cricket to achieve this glorious feat.
Broad said that this is a fascinating stat. It has been told to him by Jimmy during the warm-up. He told Broad that it is going to be him only. Jimmy further added that his 500th scalp was also Brathwaite. He told that for it to happen, the stars have to be aligned. He also said that for many years to come, it is going to b ea quiz question.
Broad was pretty much determined in this series to prove a point after he has been overlooked from the Southampton Test which was the first Test of the series as Ben Stokes, who was the interim skipper preferred Mark Wood, the pacer instead of the experienced bowler who is 34 years old and is devastating in English conditions.
2 wickets were picked up by Wood in the match before Root came back and lead the side and he straightaway drafted Broad into the starting XI for the second as well as the third test matches. The veteran pacer has responded well by taking 16 wickets in the last two games that include an impressive 6-wicket haul in the third and the final test.
A swashbuckling knock was also played by Broad in which he scored 62 off just 45 balls and lit up the match and all of that contributed to the famous win by England. He has rightfully adjudged the player of the series and also for the match as he was the highest taker for the entire series.
But he is still not done yet. Broad is not thinking of stopping or taking a break at this moment and is very much raring to go and have a crack at the Pakistani batting- line-up now after he has destroyed the West Indies. England is soon going to meet Pakistan in the very first match of their three-match series that is going to kick-start in old Trafford from 5-9 August.
Broad also mentioned that he is feeling very excited and fresh to play the game and this is a pleasing moment for him. He is now looking forward to a few days off outside what is called the bio-secure environment and is also looking forward to getting back and play it hard against Pakistan.
