Vernon Philander reached 500 first-class wickets during Sussex’s County Championship match against Worcestershire.

Philander was regarded as somewhat of a ‘late-bloomer’. His international debut came seven and a half years removed from his first-class debut.

When he did eventually play his first match against Australia in November 2011, his impact was immediate. He surpassed all expectations for a debutant, by claiming figures of 5-15 in Australia’s second innings as the Aussies were skittled for 47.

Since then his rise has been meteoric. He became the fastest South African to reach both 50 and 100 Test wickets.

Philander’s strength is his ability to plug away on the same line and length, ball after ball. He may not have an abundance of pace, but he has the ability to get the ball to nip off the seam on occasion and find the edge.

Watch Philander reach 500 first-class wickets after the dismissal of Josh Tongue: