IF not for its records and statistics, cricket as a game may have been a dull and dreary sport to follow. Many still make you believe that it is, and the majority of them are those who somehow fail to understand its intricacies, its charm and unpredictability or its nuances to really enjoy what it has on offer.

The sudden twist and turn, its ebb and flow and the fluctuating fortunes; a classic innings saving a near lost game or a match winning spell of bowling — whether from a spinner or a fast bowler — combined with factors unimaginable at times makes cricket what it is.

I have been its student and still am and lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to watch records made and broken with teams, its players leaving behind memories of the past to achieve new feats and even go beyond them. They are memories that you cherish for the rest of your life.

One such feat I witnessed on last Friday during the decisive third and final Test against the West Indies at Lord’s when Jimmy Anderson picked up his 500th Test victim to become the first Englishman to do so and sixth in all to achieve the feat at Test level.

Having finished with 499 wickets at the end of the first innings when West Indies collapsed to 123, Anderson did not take long in achieving that landmark when West Indies, after having conceded 71 runs lead on the first innings, batted again.

Anderson swung one into Kraigg Brathwaite to knock his middle stump off to receive a standing ovation on a venue where in 2005 I saw Australian fast-bowling great Glenn McGrath getting Marcus Trescothick caught in the slips by Justin Langer for his 500th Test victim.

Call it what you may, but I was also lucky to have seen the first man in history to take 300 wickets in Tests in 1964 at The Oval when England fast bowler Freddie Trueman had Neil Hawke caught in the slips by Colin Cowdrey in a drawn Ashes Test. Hawke had avoided a hat-trick as Trueman charged towards him but could not keep the great bowler from his record breaking feat.

I was lucky to be at the right place when touring New Zealand with India in 1990 at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, saw Richard Hadlee breaking Sanjay Manjrekar’s stumps to become the first bowler to take 400 wickets in Test cricket history.

I was commentating then at TVNZ when it happened and that was rather fascinating too for the fact that immediately after Manjrekar was dismissed, a little girl who happened to be Hadlee’s niece entered the ground with 400 roses to present to her uncle for that memorable moment.

No such fanfare here at Lord’s where Anderson got his 500th or McGrath before him, but nonetheless a memorable moment for everyone present or watching.

Courtney Walsh, McGrath, Muralitharan, Warne or Kumble must have had their own moments to savour, I am sure, and for those who watched them reach the magical figure.

I am happy as I experience history. This summer will remain unforgettable as it is for the 100th Test at The Oval played against South Africa, the oldest venue in England, the 50th Test of Edgbaston later against the West Indies and the Anderson feat which helped England win the three-match series against the West Indies 2-1.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2017