James Anderson and Stuart Broad have set the standard for any athlete hoping for a long career in professional sport.
That is the verdict of England Test captain Ben Stokes who could only purr with delight at the 12 wickets shared between the pair to steer his side to a record-breaking 10th Test win under his leadership.
Four wickets apiece in the New Zealand second innings, as they were bundled out for just 126, saw England to a thumping 267-run victory - their first on Kiwi soil for 15 years. It took their own remarkable record as a partnership to a mind-boggling 1009 scalps in matches played together, with more still to add to that tally.
And it means no Test skipper in the history of the game has reached the mark of 10 wins as quickly as Stokes in just his 12th match in charge, continuing the revolution he and Brendon McCullum have instigated.
Fifteen years ago it was Michael Vaughan who made the decision to pair both Anderson and Broad together in the same Test team in Wellington and it made an instant impact.
They won at the venue they are heading to next, before completing a series win the following week in Napier in a game more famous for saving the career of Sir Andrew Strauss than much else.
And while the duo were full of the enthusiasm of youth back in 2008, their continued excellence and energy right now in 2023 is something Stokes rightly believes should be marvelled at and appreciated, especially by their captains.
“Having Anderson and Broad in your side makes captaincy a lot easier,” he said. “Because you just throw them the ball and away they go and they'll probably get a wicket for you.
“Not only were they brilliant this whole game with the ball but I said in the dressing room that we've got a 40-year-old and a 36-year-old setting the standard of what we're about in the field in terms of energy.
“They’ll bowl all day for you but then you see them run around the field. Broady last night with that ten over spell and every time that a ball got hit past him he was sprinting after it in the field all the way to the boundary and Jimmy's always done that.
“They are setting a great example, not only for us in the dressing room, but I think for anyone who wants to look at having a long career in professional sport. Seeing them running in with three lions on their chest is great, and I don't really want to think too far ahead as to when they might call time on their careers.”
Stokes is the sixth captain who has been able to enjoy the benefits of both bowlers and his decision to bring them straight back into fold after their axing from the Windies last March was a first big call that has proved successful.
He has made many others since then around other players like Jack Leach, around declarations and around the style of play, which have led to his team’s success.
And even though Stokes is happy to let his players take the limelight, the whole project would simply not have been possible without him at the helm.
Whether it is the emergence of fresh talent such as 23-year-old Harry Brook, the improvement of burgeoning talent such as 25-year-old Ollie Pope, or the continued excellence of 40-year-old Anderson, they are all responding to Stokes’ captaincy in the perfect way.
