704
It would be remiss of arbitrary constant not to highlight Shane Warne's remarkable achievement of becoming the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets. His haul currently stands at 704 following his 37th fiver-fer performance.
Not being one to believe in fate, it is a remarkable coincidence Warne achieved the feat at the Melbroune Cricket Ground, or mcg as it is better known — his home pitch. Of course, you can take Warne's average, determine how many matches he has played and highlight that his bowling milestones were always likely to occur when they did, but the sum total of such an exercise would still result in the remarkable coincidence of the 700th wicket at the mcg, as opposed to, say, just a coincidence.
Quite aside from this, the victims of Warne's milestones reveal a telling story: of the seven landmark victims, three were Englishmen:
- 100th: Brian McMillan (SA), Adelaide, 1994
- 200th: Chaminda Vaas (SL), Perth, 1995
- 300th: Jacques Kallis (SA), Sydney, 1998
- 400th: Alec Stewart (Eng), The Oval, 2001
- 500th: Hashan Tillakaratne (SL), Galle, 2004
- 600th: Marcus Trescothick (Eng), Old Trafford, 2005
- 700th: Andrew Strauss (Eng), Melbourne, 2006
Shane Warne has been a remarkable cricketer.
Filed in Sport