STUART BROAD: I can’t see any fast bowler beating Jimmy Anderson’s haul of 700 Test match wickets

As the father of a one-year-old, I have seen 4.15am on many occasions recently, but unfortunately the moment my old mate Jimmy Anderson took his 700th Test wicket on Saturday was not one of them.

However, my mother Carole was there in person, sitting next to Jimmy’s father, Michael, in the stands, and she sent me selfies of the two of them, doing superstitious cricket things like swapping seats or going for a walk for good luck, all of it. in the name of taking it to those 700.

We all know it means absolutely nothing, but we still always do it. It’s a phenomenal achievement and I can’t imagine any other fast bowler matching it. When people talk about Jimmy, they mention dedication and mental toughness to keep moving forward and obviously you don’t play until you’re 41 without that, but now is the time we should marvel at his ability, really. because that is what it has taken to get so many wickets in different conditions, challenging the best batsmen in the world for over 20 years.

He has found ways to perform at the highest level and is still trying to improve, which is extraordinary when you think about it.

In some ways it’s a shame he can’t remember joining the elite company of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan for slightly better reasons, in that his moment came a little too strongly at the end of a long tour of England. .

Selfishly, part of me hoped he would return to Lord’s this summer in the 699 and that I could be there to witness it with so many other England fans.

Given our close working relationship over the years, I would have loved to be one of the 10 guys walking behind him, giving him a pat. You really appreciate the moments in your career when your teammates do special things.

I will never forget Alastair Cook’s double century at the MCG. Or Jimmy’s 500th wicket, that of West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite at Lord’s in 2017. How long will he continue as a Test bowler?

It’s a question people will naturally ask, but I honestly have no idea. Jimmy is an addict, and I mean that in the best way possible. He is so interested in cricket. Someone who will be very excited when he finally finishes.

It’s all he knows. And I think that even when he chooses her time, it will be very difficult for him to walk away. It is so ingrained in him that it sometimes gives the impression that he wants to retire at the traditional age of 65 in the UK.

What you will be thinking about is a new goal. Is your goal to reach 800 and equal Murali? Looking to top Warne’s 708? He will know when the time is right and only he can make that decision. Is it possible for him to play in the next Ashes away from home?

Yes. Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes would like him to continue for the next 18 to 24 months, but then he’ll be 43 and I don’t necessarily think he’ll be looking that far ahead.

Playing in Australia is a difficult physical task. As a seamer you average 53 overs in a Test match in scorching heat and while I wouldn’t rule him out, there were some question marks over him in the Ashes last summer in England.

In India, he is bowling economically, not taking many wickets, and his future may depend as much on who else comes through. This summer seems like the right time to continue watching Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson and discover a little more about Ollie Robinson.

Under McCullum and Stokes, England have picked their best XI in every match, but perhaps the series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka represent more of a period of investigation. England wants to win the test ma