Stuart Broad announces retirement: Decoding his top 5 career moments
Veteran England pacer Stuart Broad has announced his retirement from professional cricket. The ongoing fifth and final Ashes Test has turned out to be his farewell game. From conceding six sixes in an over against Yuvraj Singh to completing 600 Test wickets, Broad has indeed come a long way in his nearly 17-year-long international career. Here we revisit the top-five moments of his career.
The staggering 169 against Pakistan
Mostly known for his bowling abilities, Broad also owns over 3,600 Test runs. His lone First-Class century was recorded against Pakistan in the 2010 Lord's Test. Batting first, England were reduced to 7/102 when Broad arrived. He brilliantly tackled Pakistan's lethal pace attack and scored 169 off 297 balls. The speedster also claimed three wickets as the Brits claimed an innings victory.
Twin hat-tricks in Tests
Broad is the only Englishman with twin hat-tricks in Tests. He accomplished the milestone against India (2011) and Sri Lanka (2014). His hat-trick against India was indeed timely as MS Dhoni's men were cruising in the Nottingham Test. Broad's brilliance powered England to a 319-run win. Meanwhile, his hat-trick against Sri Lanka went in vain as England lost by 100 runs.
T20I captaincy in 2011
Broad took over England's T20I captaincy from Paul Collingwood in 2011. The pacer was not even 25 back then but the selectors entrusted him with the role as he was instrumental to England's triumph in the 2010 ICC T20 World Cup. Broad went on to lead the Brits in the 2012 and 2014 editions of the T20 WC. Eoin Morgan replaced him in 2014.
Comeback after heart-break against West Indies
Broad was heartbroken after being left out of England's XI in the opener of the home Test series against West Indies in 2020. He even considered retirement back then. After England's defeat in the opener, Broad was included in the line-up as he claimed 16 wickets in the remaining two Tests. During the course, he also completed 500 Test wickets.
600 Test wickets in Ashes 2023
In the preceding game, Broad became the second pacer after team-mate James Anderson to complete 600 Test wickets. He has indeed been sensational in the format as the talisman will sign off as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in Tests. Meanwhile, earlier in the ongoing fifth Ashes Test, Broad became the first-ever bowler to complete 150 Test wickets against Australia.
