Stuart Broad refused to categorise himself in the same class as Glenn McGrath, despite having surpassed the Australia great's Test wicket tally.
Broad took his 564th wicket in the longest format on Sunday when he dismissed South Africa captain Dean Elgar leg before wicket at The Oval.
While replays revealed the ball was missing the stumps, Elgar did not review the decision and so Broad, who had matched McGrath's haul of 563 wickets on Saturday, became the seam bowler with the second-most dismissals in Test cricket, behind team-mate James Anderson (667).
Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) are also ahead of Broad - who finished with figures of 3-45 as England reduced South Africa to 169 all out - on the all-time list.
Zak Crawley's superb, unbeaten 57 guided England to within 33 runs of victory until the umpires called time for bad light, with the hosts set to resume on day five with 10 wickets to spare.
"Really special," Broad said in a press conference when asked how it felt to overtake McGrath.
"Jimmy [Anderson] got his 564th [wicket] on September 11 four years ago as well, so that was quite funny. Glenn McGrath's a hero of mine, the reason I wanted to become a bowler, I used to imitate him in the garden.
"Obviously he's a much finer bowler than I've ever been, but it's incredible to be up there in that kind of company and really special to have joined Jimmy as a one-two with him being a great mate and someone who I've shared a fantastic partnership with for a long time."
England are closing in on a sixth Test win of the Brendan McCullum-Ben Stokes era, out of seven matches, with the 'Bazball' approach continuing to receive plaudits.
"It's been incredible to be a part of," Broad said.
"The mindset that those two guys have brought to our changing room and Test cricket as a whole, it's been reinvigorating as a player – no consequences, trying to play cricket on the front foot all the time, I feel it suits my mindset and how I like to play my cricket.
"Just being in a room full of players that want to move the game forward at speed, at no stage is there ever talk about draws or surviving, it's all about taking the positive mindset option at all times.
"It's been incredible how those two have worked together and the messaging has been so united, you feel really backed if you play in the style of cricket those two have created.
"We're now at the stage where every player has contributed throughout the summer, which is a really healthy place to be and as a fan it's been really exciting. We’ve had times where we've been 50-6, 50-7 and got ourselves out of trouble with that mindset."
Asked if he believes he still has plenty to offer, Broad added: "I feel great, I'm 36, feel like I bowled really well, got a bit more luck in this series but if I can keep adapting my game, whether that continues in the winter or the Ashes, it's nice to have that adaptability and do a role for the captain."
West Indies in control despite Bangladesh avoiding follow-on in Antigua Test
The West Indies maintained firm control of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, ending the third day with a 181-run lead. Bangladesh, despite a spirited late resistance, reached stumps at 269 for 9, narrowly avoiding the follow-on after the hosts declared their first innings at 450 for 9.
Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales led the West Indies bowling effort, each taking key wickets as Bangladesh struggled for momentum on a slow surface. Jaker Ali (53) and Mominul Haque (50) provided the only half-centuries for the visitors, while Litton Das added 40. A seventh-wicket stand of 68 runs between Jaker and Taijul Islam pushed Bangladesh past the follow-on mark of 251 in the final hour of the day.
Starting the day on 40 for 2, Bangladesh batted cautiously, with Mominul Haque and Shahadat Hossain looking to rebuild. Shahadat’s 18 from 71 balls came to an end when he edged Kemar Roach to Kavem Hodge at first slip.
Mominul continued his resistance alongside Litton Das, guiding Bangladesh through to lunch. Litton, known for his fluent stroke play, curbed his natural instincts and focused on survival, though he managed a few boundaries off Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph.
After the break, Seales trapped Mominul lbw for 50, breaking a promising partnership. Litton Das followed soon after, dragging a Shamar Joseph delivery onto his stumps for 40 off 76 balls. Stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz also struggled against a barrage of short-pitched deliveries, eventually succumbing to an Alzarri Joseph bouncer caught at short-leg by Mikyle Louis.
Bangladesh looked in danger of folding cheaply, but Jaker Ali and Taijul Islam mounted a defiant stand.
Jaker and Taijul frustrated the West Indies attack for 19 overs, combining disciplined shot selection with opportunistic boundary-hitting. Jaker brought up his half-century with a pull shot, but the partnership ended when Taijul was bowled by Joseph for 27.
Jaker continued to fight, but his innings ended at 53 when he holed out to Seales at deep midwicket off Justin Greaves. The West Indies bowlers, tiring in the fading light, were unable to dismiss the final Bangladeshi wicket, with Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud surviving till stumps.
The hosts had set the tone for the match with a dominant first-innings batting display, led by Justin Greaves (115*), Mikyle Louis (97), and Alick Athanaze (90). On day three, their bowlers ensured that Bangladesh remained under pressure despite avoiding the follow-on.
Heading into the penultimate day, West Indies remain firmly in control, with a healthy lead and a single Bangladeshi wicket standing between them and a shot at victory. Bangladesh, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to avoid defeat in the first Test.
Borthwick taking positives from 'frustrating' Autumn Series
England ensured they ended 2024 on a high note as they claimed a 59-14 victory over Japan, and coach Steve Borthwick is taking the positives from a difficult Autumn Nations Series.
Borthwick's team lost three matches on the spin, going down to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, earlier this month.
However, they at least rallied to wrap up their year with an emphatic victory on Sunday, ending a five-match losing streak.
Captain Jamie George crossed twice in the first half, with Ben Earl, Sam Underhill and Ollie Sleightholme also going over before the interval, while Marcus Smith was on form with the boot.
Japan, coached by former England boss Eddie Jones, did score through a fantastic try from Naoto Saito, but England kept their foot on the pedal after half-time.
George Furbank rounded off a slick move after latching onto Tommy Freeman's exceptional pass, while Luke Cowan-Dickie went over twice, either side of Tom Roebuck's maiden international try, with Kazuki Himeno grabbing another consolation for the visitors.
While Borthwick knows England have plenty to improve on, he feels they are not too short of where they wish to be.
He said: "Reflecting on it, the obvious overriding feeling will be one of frustration to have come so close to getting results but not actually be able to convert them, I think that will be one aspect.
"The other aspect would be real positivity around some of the aspects we've seen the team play.
"I want them to be brave with the ball, I want them to play fast. I think we've seen growth in that area over the last four weeks."
Reflecting on Sunday's display, he added: "I'm really pleased with the way the players approached the game and the way they kept their discipline to play the way we want to play.
"You can see the identity they're trying to build as a team, one that moves the ball and can score in different ways.
"Some of the tries were exceptional. Over the past four weeks, we've scored some really outstanding tries. With the skill level that's in the group, I'm really pleased they took it onto the grass."
Global Super League trophy unveiled
The trophy for ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) has been unveiled by Guyana’s President, His Excellency President Dr Mohammad Irfan Ali and shown to the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at a cricket event which was part of the Indian leader’s state visit to Guyana. GSL Chairman, Sir Clive Lloyd and Guyanese cricket great Alvin Kallicharran were also in attendance for the ceremony.
The trophy has been inspired by Guyana’s 276 discovered waterfalls including the magnificent Kaieteur Falls, the largest single drop waterfall in the world and has been designed by Indian company Loka Lifestyle.
Sir Clive Lloyd, Chairman of GSL, said: “The Global Super League is South America’s first standalone T20 tournament and is a fantastic opportunity to showcase beautiful Guyana to the rest of the world. With that in mind it is very fitting that the trophy highlights Kaieteur Falls, one of the most stunning landmarks in the region. We are looking forward to seeing which of the five competing teams will claim the trophy on 6th December.”
The Global Super League will see teams from Australia, Bangladesh, England, Guyana and Pakistan competing for the trophy and a US$1million prize pool. The tournament runs from 26 November to 6 December with all matches taking place at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
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