Stuart Broad, the seasoned England fast bowler, has revealed that the fifth Ashes Test will mark the end of his cricketing journey. With an impressive tally of over 600 wickets in the format, he joins an elite group as the second fast bowler and fourth bowler overall to achieve this feat. His retirement will leave him as England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker, trailing only his long-time teammate and pace partner, James Anderson.
“Tomorrow or Monday will be my last game of cricket,” said Stuart Broad on Sky Sports Cricket after the third day’s play at the Oval on Saturday. “It has been a wonderful ride. A huge privilege to wear the Nottinghamshire and the England batch as much as I have. I am loving cricket as much as I ever had, it has been such a wonderful series to be a part of and I have always wanted to finish on the top. This series feels like one of the most enjoyable entertainment I’ve been a part of,” he added.
Stuart Broad revealed that he arrived at the decision to retire around 8:30 pm the previous night, after contemplating it for the past two weeks. He informed his captain, Ben Stokes, about it on Friday night and shared the news with the rest of his teammates on Saturday morning.
“I had been thinking about it for a couple of weeks. England vs Australia have been the pinnacle for me. I have loved the battles with Australia. I have got a love affair with Ashes and I wanted it to be my last bat and bowl. I told Stokesy last night, told the changing room this morning. It felt like the right time,” Broad said.
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Stuart Broad’s international journey began with a T20I debut against Pakistan on August 28, 2006, where he secured two wickets in a match England lost by five wickets. Despite facing a memorable setback when Yuvraj Singh hit him for six sixes in an over during the 2007 T20 World Cup match against India, Broad’s career flourished, and he made his Test debut on December 9, 2007, against Sri Lanka in Colombo, taking one wicket.
Throughout his career, Broad played 56 T20Is from 2006 to 2014, claiming 65 wickets, and participated in 121 ODIs from 2006 to 2016, taking 178 wickets. Notably, he was part of the England squad that won the 2010 T20 World Cup.
However, Broad’s most significant achievements lie in Test cricket, where he has amassed an impressive tally of 602 wickets to date. He could potentially add to this total at the Oval, as England aims to prevent Australia from securing a home victory for the first time since 2001. With a remarkable international career total of 845 wickets, Broad joins James Anderson as one of only two fast bowlers to surpass 600 Test wickets for England. In his final match at The Oval, he reached a milestone of taking his 150th Ashes wicket.