England vs West Indies: 'A true champion', Twitterati hail Stuart Broad after pacer joins 500-wicket club

England pacer Stuart Broad on Tuesday joined an elite list of players after he became the seventh bowler to take 500 wickets or more in Test cricket. Broad reached the milestone on day five of the third Test between England and West Indies in Manchester, when he took the wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite during Windies’ run chase. He became only the second Englishman, after James Anderson (589 wickets), to have achieved the feat among bowlers in the longest format.

Broad was controversially dropped from the first Test in Southampton with England opting to go for the trio of Anderson, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. He had even expressed his frustration towards the same, but returned to play the following two Tests. In these two matches, he proved himself to the England selectors as he ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the Test series with 16 wickets, five more than fellow Englishman Chris Woakes (11). This even includes a 10-wicket haul in two innings during the final Test.

While the hosts lost the opening Test by four wickets sans permanent skipper Joe Root, they bounced back in the following Tests in Manchester to seal a convincing series victory.

Here’s how Twitterati reacted to Broad taking 500 wickets:

All hail Stuart Broad!

A man of many skills, certainly!

The best all-time pace-bowling pair in Tests?

From the man himself!

A champion bowler, now and always!

Spectators have truly missed this incredible moment!

500 and counting!

Broad has come a long way indeed!