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Walsh enters 400 club

In his 15th year in international cricket, playing his 107th Test, Courtney Walsh became only the third bowler in cricket history to get 400 wickets in Tests.

Spearheading a great bowling effort by the West Indies on the opening day of the first Cable and Wireless cricket Test against Australia at the Queen's Park Oval, Walsh returned figures of three for 37 off 22 overs.

The veteran quick bowler took out Justin Langer and Mark Waugh either side of lunch, the second of those dismissals giving him 100 wickets against Australia.

The real milestone, however, came in the final hour of play when he got wicket keeper Ian Healy leg before, to reach the 400 wicket mark.

An obviously elated Walsh raised both clenched fists in the air, saluting the 18,000-strong crowd before rushing to embrace his long-standing partner in crime, Curtley Ambrose.

"I really enjoyed the day," said the 36-year-old Walsh at the end of play. "I was very happy to get the milestone finally out of the way."

Walsh joins Indian Kapil Dev (434 in 131 matches) and New Zealander Sir Richard Hadlee (431 in 86 matches) at the top of the world ladder.

The Windies veteran indicated that while he would love to try and break Kapil Dev's record, it would all depend on his longevity in the game. "It would be nice to do it during this series," Walsh, openly optimistic, said.

While Walsh shares his membership of the 400-club with Kapil and Hadlee, there is another record that he holds on his own. In course of the recent, ill-fated South African tour, Walsh became the bowler with the most number of wickets in Tests away from home.

For the record, Walsh in 62 away Tests has bowled 13531 balls, given away 6117 runs, taken 242 wickets at an average of 25.28, his best being 7/37. He has five wickets in an innings on 12 occasions, and 10 in a match once.

Richard Hadlee weighs in at number two on the list of bowlers who have been successful away from home, with 230 wickets in 43 away Tests. The third is Malcolm Marshall, 219 wickets off 50 Tests, with Kapil Dev coming fourth, having claimed 215 in 66 Tests away from home.

Interestingly, the only person who has a chance of cartching, and even surpassing, Walsh's record at this point in time is Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram, who is in the news today for becoming the first Pakistan bowler, and the first captain, to take a hat-trick in Tests. Akram has 207 wickets in 47 Tests away from home.