Top 5 contenders for the 500 Test wickets club

The proudest form of the game, Test Cricket, has a great history. There are certain milestones in the longest form of the game which can be breached only by the best of bests. If scoring 10,000 runs is a benchmark for greatness in batting, then bagging 500 wickets is its equivalent in bowling.

In these 140 years, only six cricketers have taken 500+ Test wickets. Recently, James Anderson became the sixth bowler to enter this great club.

Below is the list of cricketers who hold this proud record.

List of bowlers who have 500+ wickets

The coming years will possibly witness a few new entrants entering into this club. In this article, we are going to see the top 5 contenders who can possibly join this elite club in the next few years.

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#1 Dale Steyn (South Africa) - 417 wickets

One of the best bowlers of the 21st century has returned to the game after a one-year injury lay-off. Steyn has not played a game since crashing down with a stress fracture on his right shoulder on 4th of November, 2016.

Currently, he is 10th in the list of all-time Test wicket-takers and just needs 83 more wickets to enter this legendary club of 500+ wicket-takers.

Dale Steyn has a strike-rate of 41.4 which is considerably better than any of the above-listed legends. If we project his strike-rate, all he needs is just 570 overs to reach the milestone.

Steyn is 34-year old and he will be hoping for an injury-free couple of seasons. Retiring with 500+ Test wickets will be appropriate for his celebrated International career.

The prediction is that the South African stalwart will cross the 500 wicket mark by 2019.

#2 Rangana Hearth (Sri Lanka) - 405 wickets

Rangana Herath is one of the great cricketers of the modern age

The 39-year old Sri Lankan legend would have reached the milestone long back had he played during a different era. Despite making his debut in 1999, Herath was under the shadows of Muttiah Muralitharan till 2010.

In the last seven years, Herath has taken a staggering 327 wickets from his 62 matches. There are hardly any cricketers in the world who have made this heavy an impact in the twilight of their career.

The Sri Lankan veteran is also the only spinner in 2017 to have taken 50+ Test wickets. He has two 10-wicket hauls and five 5-wicket hauls against his name.

The prediction is that the Sri Lankan legend will definitely cross the 500 wicket mark by early 2019, if he continues to play.

#3 Stuart Broad (England) - 388 wickets

Stuart Broad has evolved as one of the best fast bowlers in the World Cricket

When Yuvraj Singh blasted him for six sixes in an over, 10-years ago, Stuart Broad was just a 21-year old youngster. The world made fun of him; they mocked him by saying that he is on the team because of his father. However, the criticisms did not deter him.

Ten years have passed since Yuvi's carnage. Now, Broad is not just another player in world cricket but is one of the top Test bowlers. He has taken an unbelievable 388 wickets from just 109 games for England and only 15 bowlers are above him in the overall wicket-taking chart. Besides, he is just 31-years old and has a solid five years left in his armoury.

The prediction is that he will not only reach the 500+ club by 2019 but also will beat Glenn McGrath's record of 563 wickets.

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin (India) - 292 wickets

Ashwin can become the highest wicket-taker ever if he improves his overseas record

Ravichandran Ashwin is on the verge of creating another world record now. He only needs eight wickets in three matches to become the fastest bowler to 300 wickets, breaking the legendary Australian Dennis Lillee's record, who took 56 matches for the same.

Ashwin also holds the Asian record of being the quickest to 200 Test wickets and the world record for being the quickest to 250 wickets. At this rate, he will easily reach the 500+ club in the next few years. Ashwin has a crucial 2018 ahead of him with 12 away tests lined up.

Ashwin has struggled in the overseas conditions generally and would like to prove the world that he isn't just a home track bully.

The prediction is that he will not only reach the 500+ club by 2020 but will also try to beat Muralitharan's world record of 800 wickets. He has good seven to eight years of Test Cricket left in him.

#5 Nathan Lyon (Australia) - 269 wickets

Nathan Lyon will play a big role in the upcoming Ashes Tour

Nathan Lyon is regarded as the greatest off-spinner Australia has ever produced. Ever since his debut in 2011, Lyon has been performing consistently for the Australian Cricket Team. The off-spinner has a knack for taking wickets even in seamer-friendly conditions. He took 17 wickets in Australia's last home season with very little assistance from the pitch.

Lyon has overtaken legends Richie Benaud and Jason Gillespie to position himself 7th on the record of Australia’s all-time Test wicket-takers. He has taken an impressive 46 wickets at an average of 21.96 in 2017.

Lyon is just 29 years old and has seven to eight years of Test cricket left in him. The number of sub-continental tours has increased these days, which will help Lyon reach the magical 500+ mark sooner than later.

The prediction is that Nathan Lyon will reach 500+ Test wicket-takers club by 2022.