Stuart Broad secured his place among the pantheon of great pace bowlers with a 500th Test wicket before a brilliant five-for from Chris Woakes powered England to a 2-1 series win over the West Indies.
Broad had spent two successive nights lingering on 499 but ensured his wait would not carry on beyond this third Test, pinning Kraigg Brathwaite lbw in the morning session then returning to put the finishing touch on a 269-run victory.
As well as making him just the seventh bowler in history to reach the remarkable landmark – and the trajectory of the sport gives every reason to believe he might also be the last – Broad’s first-innings 62 and match figures of 10 for 67 ensured it would be England who won the last ever tussle for the soon-to-be-retired Wisden Trophy.
With one wicket still needed Broad returned for one last effort and did the job with his first ball, Jermaine Blackwood flapping down leg side.
All eyes were on Broad at the start of the day but Brathwaite and Shai Hope were reading from a different script initially, adding 25 runs in 25 minutes before a brief rain delay.
When the teams resumed Broad continued attacking the stumps at a full length, risking runs but increasing his chances of landing the big prize. When it came it was as plumb as any decision he has earned since he first donned England whites in 2007. Brathwaite was beaten all ends up on the back foot and Broad’s celebrations were never likely to be delayed by a DRS referral.
Anderson was among the first to congratulate his long-time partner and will have been quick to remind him that they now share another story, Brathwaite having also been his 500th victim at Lord’s in 2017.
Broad’s personal milestone also helped England strengthen their stranglehold on the third Test, the first of the eight breakthroughs they needed. He eventually took the chance to hold the ball aloft, albeit in slightly poignant fashion given the empty stands that have allowed this bio-secure series to take place.
Even when his spell was finished he found a way to stay involved, running in from mid-on to take a catch for Woakes, Hope having tossed away his good start with a horrible hack off the toe end.
The result was now a formality, with the batting side showing none of the steel they needed to hang on for a painstaking draw. Woakes was on hand to take full advantage of any lapse and they kept coming in quick succession.
He won three lbws in a row, pitching the ball up and searching for small variations off the pitch as Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich and Rahkeem Cornwall all departed cheaply.
Jofra Archer did his best to get on the board at the other end but when his fruitless spell concluded it saw Broad, inevitably, end the series on centre stage. Blackwood flicked him to Jos Buttler as the ball faded towards leg, handing him the third 10-wicket match of his career and the first since 2013.
