1962). 1962–63 in Australia and New Zealand When Statham and Trueman began the MCC tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1962–63, they had 229 and 216 Test wickets respectively and were poised to overtake the world record of 236 Test wickets set by their assistant-manager Alec Bedser. The Australian captain Richie Benaud was another contender with 219 wickets, but it was Statham who broke the record in the fourth Test at Adelaide when Trueman caught Barry Shepherd in the gully. Despite breaking the record, Statham rarely shone in the series, taking just thirteen wickets at 44.61 (he took 33 in all matches at 31.60). He extended the record to 242 wickets but returned to England while Trueman went on to New Zealand, where he broke the record only two months after Statham, who now began to fade out of Test cricket. 1963 to 1965 1963 season In 1963, Statham's county form on over-grassed pitches was back to something close to his best but, on the less grassy surface of Old Trafford in the first Test against the West Indies, his bowling lacked its old venom. He was surprisingly replaced by the veteran seamer Derek Shackleton for the rest of the series. This move was heavily criticised in the press because it was well known that the Lord's pitch helped fast bowlers. Later in the season, Statham took five wickets in the first-ever limited overs match, for Lancashire against Leicestershire in the preliminary round of the new Gillette Cup tournament. Lancashire again struggled in the County Championship and finished fifteenth. Statham's tally was 113 at 16.58 with a best return of seven for 96. 1964 season In 1964, despite the arrival of Sonny Ramadhin to bolster the attack, Lancashire were again a poor team on the field, finishing fourteenth in the championship. Statham in 1964 bowled somewhat inconsistently and was never in contention for the Ashes Tests. He did take fifteen for 108 in the match against a weak Leicestershire side and had an innings return of seven for 50 against Warwickshire, completing the season with 110 wickets at 20.02. 1965 season Statham was appointed club captain for 1965 (he had led the team a few times in 1962). He was a reluctant candidate but he provided inspirational leadership and Wisden noted a new spirit of keen endeavour in the team. The club committee declared his first year as captain