5 times Stuart Broad and James Anderson wreaked havoc in a Test match

James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been the two pillars of English cricket for over a decade now. However, with Broad's retirement news, Anderson will no longer have his partner in crime, and England will be without one of their most seasoned pacers.

Interestingly, it was on the eve of Anderson's 41st birthday when Broad dropped the surprising news. It’s hard to believe the world will not be able to witness Anderson and Broad bowling together. The announcement came when it was least expected, amidst the fifth Ashes Test at the Kennington Oval.

The fifth Test saw an emphatic climax as Broad ended his international career with a match-winning wicket for England. Broad claimed the last two wickets as England beat Australia by 49 runs to draw the Ashes series 2-2.

👕 344 international matches
🏏 4309 runs
💯 1 century
☝️ 845 wickets
🔥 21 five-wicket hauls

🏆 T20 World Cup 2010 winner
🌟 Second pacer to pick 600 Test wickets
🧢 England’s second-most-capped Test player

Happy retirement to one of the greatest Test bowlers of all time,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/lcBxsHA8Y9

Fittingly, Broad ended the recently concluded series as the highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets. While Broad had a dream finale series, his most successful ally, James Anderson, didn't really have much impact on the series.

Having said that, the two enjoyed a plethora of success while bowling together over the last 15 years.

Earlier this year, Broad and Anderson became only the second pair to pick up 1000 wickets in Test cricket. The English duo equaled the legendary duo of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Since 2008, Broad and Anderson have played 138 matches together and have picked up 538 wickets.

In this list, we will take a look at five times when both Stuart Broad and James Anderson wreaked havoc together against an opposition in Test cricket.

#5 11 wickets vs Pakistan in the second Test in Birmingham in 2012

Pakistan toured England for a four-match Test series in 2012, which was won by the hosts 3-1. After winning the opening Test in Nottingham, England hosted Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Under overhead conditions, England opted to bowl first and quickly wrapped up the Pakistani batting unit. Anderson and Broad proved to be too hot to handle for the visitors, who were bundled out for 74 runs in the first inning.

Both Anderson and Broad shared four wickets each, with Steven Finn also taking two scalps. Pakistan, after their horrendous first innings against England's pace attack, did well in their second innings as they made 296.

Anderson and Broad took three wickets between them in the second innings before England recorded a nine-wicket win in the end.

#4 11 wickets vs India in the fourth Test in Manchester in 2014

England v India: 4th Investec Test - Day One

Over the years, Team India has also faced the heat from Anderson and Broad. However, in one particular morning, the duo decimated the Indian top order with disciplined bowling.

After the five-match Test series was leveled at 1-1, the fourth Test match was hosted in Manchester, where England reduced India to 8/4.

Within the first five overs, Anderson dismissed Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli on ducks, while Broad sent back Gautam Gambhir on 4 and Cheteshwar Pujara on zero.

On the back of MS Dhoni's courageous 71, India managed to pile up 152 runs, with Anderson taking three and Broad scalping six wickets.

England eventually won the game by an inning and 54 runs. While Broad didn't bowl in the second innings, Anderson took the two prized wickets of Gambhir and Kohli.

#3 15 wickets vs New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's in 2013

England v New Zealand: 1st Investec Test - Day Four

New Zealand toured England for a multi-format series in 2013. While the Kiwis managed to trounce the hosts in the ODIs and T20Is, England enjoyed a 2-0 clean sweep in the Tests.

The Test series opener was hosted at the iconic Lord's, where Anderson and Broad scripted a phenomenal win for England.

After England scored 232 runs in the first innings, Anderson's brilliant five-wicket haul helped the hosts restrict New Zealand to 207 runs. The visitors, however, made a remarkable comeback in the game by bundling out England for 213 in the second innings, with Tim Southee picking up six wickets.

England needed to restrict New Zealand to 238 runs in the second innings in order to win the Test. The Kiwi batters, who were eyeing a memorable win at the home of cricket, didn't know what was about to hit them.

Broad wreaked havoc and produced one of his best spells, claiming a seven-wicket haul. Anderson too picked up two wickets, which skittled out New Zealand for a mere 55 runs.

#2 13 wickets vs New Zealand in the second Test in Christchurch in 2018

England Nets Session vs New Zealand in 2018 [Getty Images]

It is a rare feat when just two bowlers manage to take all ten wickets in a Test innings, and the pair of Anderson and Broad did just that when they demolished the New Zealand batting unit once again in 2018.

After losing the first Test in Auckland, England put up 307 runs in the first innings of the second Test in Christchurch.

Anderson and Broad started their bowling on a dream note, reducing the Kiwis to 36/5 in 19 overs. The two pacers bowled exceptionally well and completely put England on top.

However, half-centuries from BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme led to a strong recovery for the hosts before Broad and Anderson came back for another spell to wrap up the lower order.

While Anderson took four wickets, Broad scalped six times to all-out New Zealand for 278. The two also took three wickets between them in the second innings, but the match ended in a draw at the end.

#1 15 wickets vs Sri Lanka in the first Test in 2016 in Leeds

England v Sri Lanka: 1st Investec Test - Day Two

Sri Lankan batters also had no chance of standing against some top-quality bowling by the duo of Anderson and Broad when the Asian side toured England in 2016.

In the three-match series, Anderson and Broad ended up as the top two wicket-takers, having scalped 33 wickets between them. The first innings of the first Test in Leeds saw the England pair share nine wickets, completely bamboozling Sri Lanka with their excellent swing and seam bowling.

On the back of Anderson's fifer and Broad's four-wicket haul, England bundled out the opposition for only 91 runs, taking a 207-run first innings lead before enforcing a follow-on.

Anderson began the second inning by doing what he does best and claimed another five-wicket haul to complete a terrific ten-wicket haul in the Test match. Broad also took out Angelo Matthews, as Sri Lanka only managed 119 runs in their second inning.

England went on to win comfortably by an innings and 88 runs.