The quicks in contention to catch James Anderson’s Test wickets record

[Ulquiorra]

JAMES Anderson will never be dethroned as Test cricket’s most prolific fast bowler when he eventually surpasses Glenn McGrath, according to the Australian great.

It’s a bold call from the man with 563 Test wickets, which is sure to discourage a group of talented bowlers who hold onto a glimmer of hope.

“With the nature of the game these days, and the amount of Twenty20 cricket, I believe no fast bowler will ever go past him (Anderson),” McGrath wrote on Monday for the Daily Mail.

Kagiso Rabada is only 23 with 151 Test wickets, while Dale Steyn - when fit - takes more wickets per match than any of the major contenders.

Australia’s star pace trio and England’s Stuart Broad join the two South Africans to form a group who have small, but open windows to become Test cricket’s greatest fast bowling wicket-taker.

Here, foxsports.com.au takes a look at the equation facing each of the six bowlers.

KAGISO RABADA
151 wickets at 21.71 across 32 Tests. 23 years old.

Rabada is arguably the greatest contender to one day surpass Anderson, who has 557 Test wickets at 36-years-old.

The South African is 13 years Anderson’s junior, and has already almost a third of the Englishman’s wicket-tally.

Rabada has taken 151 wickets at 21.71 in 32 Tests since his debut in November 2015 - that’s 4.72 wickets a match, and 50 a year.

Anderson takes 3.95 wickets a Test and around 37 a year.

When Anderson was the same age as Rabada in 2005, he had just 35 Test wickets to his name.

Should Rabada continue to take wickets at his current rate, he would reach McGrath’s record in 2026. He will only be 31, leaving him some time to catch the undetermined target Anderson will leave.

Of course, continuing at his current rate is easier said than done.

DALE STEYN
421 wickets at 22.64 across 88 Tests. 35 years old.

Before July 2015, Steyn wasn’t even considered a contender. He was the pending target.

The now 35-year-old was the joint-second fastest player to 400 Test wickets, but a series of obscure injuries - including breaking a bone in his shoulder - crippled his run at the fast bowling record. He has only taken 21 wickets in three years.

Nonetheless, Steyn is back up and running having completed consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka in July, and five matches for English county side Hampshire this month.

His wickets-to-Tests ratio remains at 4.78, but his injury record and the lack of Test cricket South Africa plays in comparison to England means he only averages around 30 a year.

At that rate, it will take him almost five more years just to pass McGrath’s record, let alone Anderson’s final target. He will need an immaculate run of fitness to compete for the record.

Steyn is currently tied with Shaun Pollock for the most Test wickets by a South African — 421 — and is intent on overtaking his compatriot just to stop people talking about it. He’s aiming to finish with a tally far bigger than 422.

“I hope it just gets out of the way and we can just carry on. Because there’s more wickets in me than 421,” he said in July.

“I have got 500-plus on the horizon so I don’t know why we are so consumed on one number.

JOSH HAZLEWOOD
151 wickets at 26.84 across 40 Tests. 27 years old.

Hazlewood’s Test record at 27-years-old suggests he is almost on track to one day surpass Anderson. At Hazlewood’s age, Anderson had 156 Test wickets after 46 Tests. Hazlewood has 151 at 26.84 after 40.

Hazlewood has one of the lowest wickets-to-Tests ratios out of the contenders (3.76), but has enjoyed a better run of health, leaving him with an average of 38 a year. But at his current rate, Hazlewood will still take almost 11 years to reach McGrath’s record.

Hazlewood isn’t in nerly as much of a race against time as Steyn, however, he can ill-afford further lengthy lay-offs if he’s to reach the record. The quick has been ruled out of the Test series against Pakistan in October but has rarely been an injury concern for Australia.

STUART BROAD
427 wickets at 28.91. 32 years old.

Following Anderson each step of the way has been Stuart Broad.

Broad has racked up 427 wickets (28.91) in 121 Tests, leaving him with the most out of any contender.

He has six more wickets than Steyn - who is three years his senior - and a better run of injuries in recent years.

But Broad only takes 3.53 wickets a Test, meaning his gap to Anderson increases every match.

He sits 130 wickets behind his long-term teammate - a gap which, at his current rate, will take at least three years to bridge after Anderson’s retirement.

Broad is 32-years-old, meaning he will need Anderson to retire soon and for his own body to hold up to the rigours of Test cricket for a few more years if he’s to stand a chance.

PAT CUMMINS
66 wickets at 23.81 across 14 Tests. 25 years old.

Cummins has just 66 Test wickets to his name, making it almost impossible to rate his chances alongside Anderson’s mighty 557.

It’s a huge mountain to climb, and one which seems steeper with each Test missed through injury.

But the positives for Cummins are that he is just 25 years old, and takes almost the same amount of wickets per Test as Rabada (4.71). Furthermore, Anderson had only reached 46 Test wickets when he was Cummins’ age.

Cummins’ form and age certainly suggest he could one day surpass Anderson. A recurring theme among the contenders, however, is that Cummins will need to overcome injury troubles to get there.

MITCHELL STARC
182 wickets at 28.18 across 43 Tests. 28 years old.

Starc has the most Test wickets out of Australia’s star pace trio, taking 182 (28.17) in 43 matches.

By Starc’s age, Anderson’s career had begun to flourish after taking 104 wickets within two years. His tally sat on 212 after the 2010-11 Ashes series, when he was 28.

Starc is therefore not far from the mark, but certainly in need of improvement if he is ever to reach Anderson’s level.

He takes 4.23 wickets a Test, but an average of just 26 wickets a year as he also battles injury problems.