When the ECB broke the big news on Tuesday – that Stuart Broad and James Anderson had both been dropped for the upcoming tour of the West Indies – there was still room for a caveat.

“In respect of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, I want to emphasise this does not mean the end for them as England players,” said Andrew Strauss, the interim managing director of England men’s cricket. Speaking to the media on Wednesday Strauss added that he expected the pair to be in the mix for selection this summer.

Nonetheless, it is clear that this is, at the very least, the beginning of the end for England’s two most prolific wicket-takers, and offers an opportunity for reflection.

First, to Anderson. Beginning his Test career back in 2003 with a five-wicket haul on debut at Lord’s against Zimbabwe, it took a few years for the Lancashire quick to become an indispensable part of England’s bowling attack. After 20 Tests – played across the first four and a half years of his career – Anderson averaged 39.2 with the ball in Test cricket. 2008 can be seen as a turning point in his career; he took 46 wickets at an average of 29.84 in 11 Tests that year and was subsequently named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2009.

The next few years saw Anderson develop himself as the leader of a bowling line-up that helped England to the top of the Test rankings and achieve famous series wins in Australia and India. In the 2010/11 Ashes win Down Under, he was the leading wicket-taker in the series with 24 wickets at an average of 26.04, while in the 2012 he was the standout quick across both sides in a 2-1 win for England in India, taking 12 wickets at 30.25.

In April 2015, in his 100th Test, Anderson surpassed Ian Botham as England’s leading wicket-taker in Test wicket when he collected his 384th wicket. At the age of 32, that could well have been the crowning achievement of Anderson’s career, but it is his longevity that has attracted so many admirers in recent years.

Since the start of his 101st Test, Anderson has taken 256 wickets at an average of 21.79. Averaging 29.77 with the ball after 100 Tests, that average now sits at 26.58 after 169 Tests. Along the way he has become the most prolific fast bowler in Test history, surpassing Glenn McGrath’s haul of 563 wickets in 2018 against India. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) sit above him (640) in the all-time stakes.

Like Anderson, Broad took some time to find his feet at Test level. Debuting in 2007, Broad averaged 40.21 with the ball after 20 Tests. The 2009 Ashes, which saw Broad take two five-wicket hauls, served as a breakout moment, but perhaps more significant in Broad’s career was a standout series against India in 2011. Following a difficult start to the summer against Sri Lanka, Broad took 25 wickets in four matches at an average of 13.84 to help England dethrone India as the No.1 Test side in the world.

The Ashes is where Broad has usually come to the fore, even more than Anderson. While the latter has taken 112 wickets against Australia at an average of 33.76, the former has 131 wickets at an average of 29.05, with his Test-best of 8-15 at Trent Bridge key in England regaining the Ashes in 2015. In the recent series between both sides, Broad surpassed Botham as England leading wicket-taker in the Ashes.

Like Anderson, Broad’s numbers in the last few years show improvements upon his overall career record. Since the start of the 2019 English summer, Broad has played 26 Tests and taken 100 wickets at an average of 22.34 – his average across 152 Tests is 27.80. Dropped for the first Test of the 2020 home summer, Broad responded by taking 29 wickets in his next five Tests at 13.41, his lowest bowling average in Test cricket across a home season. He currently stands as the sixth highest wicket-taker in Test history, and should he successfully return in the summer, McGrath’s final tally – the Australian is 26 wickets ahead – may still be in reach.

Nevertheless, there remains the chance that this is the end for the two veterans. Whatever happens from here, the record books will show them to be sitting comfortably alongside other greats of the game.