Father’s pride as Broad goes past Botham benchmark
Chris Broad hailed the “monumental achievement” of son Stuart after he overtook sir ian both am to climb into second place in England’s all-time list of Test wicket-takers.
Nottinghamshire bowler Stuart Broad moved on to 384 international dismissals – one ahead of Botham – on Saturday as England thrashed West Indies inside three days in the first Test at Edgbaston.
He now has only 35-yearold team-mate James Anderson (492) in front of him. Former England batsman Chris Broad said: “I’m immensely proud. Stuart has been a shining light in the family for his career since he first started. To get to a person like Ian Botham and his record is a monumental achievement.”
The younger Broad made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2007 and has since played a further 106 times. Father Chris, who represented his country between 1984 and 1989 and played alongside Botham, believes the 31-year-old will continue giving batsmen headaches for the foreseeable future.
“You look at Jimmy Anderson, you look at Stuart, they are as fit now as they were when they were 21-year-olds,” he added.
“As long as both continue to hold on to that little bit of zip off the pitch and stay fit, they can go on for as long as they want. I just wonder whether, like great partnerships, when one goes, the other one will go.”
Chris, 59, also revealed that his son had a few drinks with Botham after surpassing the 61-yearold’s wicket total.
“I heard that he and Ian were going to share a quiet drink.
“I know what Ian Botham’s quiet drinks are like but hopefully it didn’t end up like that.”