Stuart Broad Retirement Tribute: Sun Sets on Legendary Career

by Nitesh Mathur | Jul 29, 2023 | Article Index, Tributes: Cricketing Heroes

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

– Quote Attributed to Abraham Lincoln

This quote perfectly epitomizes Stuart Broad.

Stuart Broad has made each of his 6182 days in international cricket count. Ultra-competitive, yet also super fun to be around.

When Stuart Broad appealed, we saw the joy in him. When Broad took a wicket, we saw the joy in him. And when Broad talks about cricket, we still see the joy in him.

The all-time great has hung up his boots. Today, we look back at the highs, lows, and everything in between.

Here is Stuart Broad retirement tribute.

Table of Contents

• The Debut
• Stats & Records
• Yuvraj vs Broad and other such incidents
• Broad & Anderson
• Broad, the all-rounder, almost
• What Can We Learn from Stuart Broad?

Stuart Broad Debut: How Did it All Start?

Although fast bowling was his true calling, his beginning wasn’t always that.

He started his youth cricketing career as an opening batter (which is why he still valued technique till end). Rising up the ranks, we was called up in the England U-19 & England A sides during 2005-06. A certain Jimmy Anderson had made the senior side, so there was a vacancy in the A team.

On 28 August, 2006, Broad made his international debut at age of 20. And he did not disappoint—2 in 2 and on-a-hattrick in his first ever senior match.

By 2007, he had made England’s ODI & T20I World Cup teams. A couple of years later, he had announced himself on the big stage at the Ashes when his 5-fer reduced Australia from 73/0 to 111/7.

Also Read: Dale Steyn, The Embodiment of Simplicity and Intensity, Retires—The Greatest Fast Bowler of Them All, MS Dhoni and SK Raina Retire: An End of An Era

Stuart Broad Stats & Records

Before we go on any further, here are a bit of his career highlights.

Teams

To elongate his Test career, Broad only played a handful of franchise tournaments early on. The only teams that he played for were

• England, England U-19, England A, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Hobart Hurricanes, Kings XI Punjab

• 845 International Wickets (602* – Tests, 178 – ODI, 65 – T20I)
• 4303 International Runs (3656 – Test, 529 – ODI, 118 – T20I)

Broad Test Wickets & Runs

• 167 Tests
• 602 Wickets, 8/15 (best inning), 11/121 (best match), 27.68 average, 55.7 strike rate: 20/3 (5-fer/10-fer)
• 3647 Runs, 18.05 average, 54 sixes, 1 -100, 13 – 50s

Broad ODI & T20I Career

• 121 ODIs
• 178 wickets, 5/23 (best), 30.13 average, 34.3 strike rate,1 (5-fer)
• 529 Runs, 45* (best), 12.3 average

• 56 T20Is
• 65 wickets, 4/24 (best), 22.93 average, 7.62 economy
• 118 runs, 18* (best), 100.00 strike rate

Records

• 167 Tests – 5th Most Matches in Test Career
• 8/15 (2015) – Best spell by a pacer since Glenn McGrath’s 8/24 in 2004
• 33454 – 5th Most balls bowled in career
• Most wickets in the Ashes by an Englishmen (151)
• Joint Most wickets against a single batter (20) – David Warner
• Two hat-tricks

Timeline

• 2004 – Debuted in County Cricket at Leicestershire
• 2006 – T20I debut, ODI debut, Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year
• 2007 – Test debut, Yuvraj Singh six sixes
• 2008 – Moved to Nottinghamshire, First Test 5–fer
• 2010 – T20 World Cup Winner, 169 vs Pakistan
• 2011 – Hat-trick against India, Kings XI Punjab IPL deal
• 2014 – Seelcted as captain of England’s T20 World Cup side
• 2015 – 8/15 spell against Australia
• 2016 – Hobart Hurricanes BBL deal, British honor – MBE
• 2023 – 600 Test wickets, Retirement

Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson: The Gift That Kept on Giving

Let’s be honest, England have not really been the most stable Test side in history.

That’s why the duo of Broad & Jimmy Anderson is so cherished by the English fans. They provided England with the stability they needed.

Amidst the 0-5 Ashes defeats, World Cup debacles, or Pietersen-Strauss drama, these two remained the only constants.

When Broad was out of form, Anderson swung it England’s way. When Anderson did not get the early breakthroughs, Broad produced one of those spells.

Although the talk of the decade was Steyn vs Anderson, Broad uncharacteristically went under the radar. But he didn’t mind. He actually flourished under Anderson’s wisdom and when his time came, he mentored the next generation of English bowlers.

A partnership that was bound to be. A partnership that kept on giving.

The Famous Broad Spells: Ashes 8/15, Hat-Tricks, and Many, Many More

Have you seen magic?

I have, and it is known as a Stuart Broad bowling spell.

When he is on fire, he is really on fire.

Although he was not lucky on his T20I debut, he finally got a hat-trick against India at Nottingham in 2011.

He was so good, sometimes he forgot he even took a hat-trick.

“He becomes the first Englishmen to take two hat-tricks in Test cricket, and he has got no idea. Typical fast bowler.”

With his famous headband, he found a second wind. In 2022, he took 2/3 wickets in a team hat-trick (the second wicket was also due to him. His celebrappeal for LBW took de Grandhomme by surprise, after which he was run out).

Broad found his forte when the pressure was its highest. The Johannesburg spell for example.

He took almost 25% of his career wickets (151/602) in the Ashes, becoming the leading Ashes wicket-taker of-all time by an Englishmen. Therefore, it is no surprise that his greatest spell – 8/15 came against the Aussies as well.

4th Test at Nottingham in Ashes 2015, Australia sent into bat, and Broad did the rest. Every wicket due to pace and perfect line & length. He ended with figures of 9.3-5-15-8. Watch it here. One of the greatest modern day bowling spells.

For some of his other highlights, look at this video.

Stuart Broad vs David Warner

From 2013 to 2023, if there is one batter that has been haunted by Stuart Broad, it has to be David Warner. The record across formats reads as follows:

63 innings, 556 runs scored in 934 balls, 68 fours, 3 sixes, and 20 wickets. That’s the joint 2nd of all-time only behind Ambrose-Mark Waugh (21).

When Warner had learned how to face Broad for a little while, Broad came around the wicket and became even more lethal.

Here’s Cricinfo’s detailed description of all his Test dismissals. And here are the videos.

Things That May Not Have Gone According to Plan

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room—The Six Sixes.

Yuvraj Singh Six Sixes: Stuart Broad vs Yuvraj Singh

Amidst all the glory and the highs, there were some low points in his career too.

Yuvraj Singh, at his peak of his batting prowess, hit Broad out of the park the entire over. Yuvraj was angry at Flintoff, but Broad got the treatment.

Also Read; What If Flintoff Kept His Cool to Yuvraj Singh?

England vs Netherlands 2009

His T20 World Cup experience continued to not go according to the plan.

In the 2009 T20 World Cup, the Netherlands defeated the English while Broad was bowling the last over.

There were some dropped catches, misfields, and overthrows from Broad that tilted the match in the Dutch’s favor. Oops.

No worries though. In a years time, he was a T20 World Cup winner.

Bumrah vs Stuart Broad

What’s worse than getting hit for 36 runs by Yuvraj Singh in a T20I?

Getting hit by Jasprit Bumrah for 35 runs (including extras) in a Test match.

The 2015 World Cup

Prior to England’s revival in limited overs cricket, they were actually a mediocre side for the better part of the last two decades.

The lowest point, though, was getting knocked out in the group stage by Bangladesh.

With 16 needed from 12 runs, there was still a chance. But Rubel Hussain castled Broad and Anderson to take Bangladesh to the knockouts.

That was the end of Broad & Anderson’s limited over careers. But a blessing in disguise, extending their Test careers by 8 years.

The Twitter Troll

Broad’s career rise coincided with the rise of social media. As an active Twitter user, he is often hilarious and engages the crowd with some banter.

Sometimes it comes off, and at least once a year, the video resurfaces of Broad hilariously not walking off despite edging the ball….So, there’s that.

Stuart Broad 169: The Batter He Was

In his early days, Stuart Broad was considered an all-rounder.

In fact, between 2008 & 2011, Broad produced scores of 169, 76, 74*, 67*, 65, 65, and 64.

And then he got hit by a Varun Aaron bouncer in 2014.

Even though he had a couple of fifties in 2017, his batting perhaps did not see the best of him again.

Stuart Broad Retirement

The series had underlying murmurs of, “Is this Jimmy Anderson’s last Test series?” Or at least, if this will be his last Ashes.

There was no such news about Broad.

In fact, Broad was at his best. He developed an outswing to counter the threat of Smith-Labuschagne and became the leading wicket-taker for England in the process. Anderson, on the other hand, had an abysmal series with Woakes & Wood leading English revival.

But in Broad fashion, he decided the night before at 8:30 PM and announced it today.

I knew I wanted to leave the game loving cricket and lasting memories being a very enjoyable changing room, and I’ve got lots of friends. I’ve played a long time, and the body feels great. I could have carried on, but it’s just feels like the right time.

– Stuart Broad

His final day may well be on Jimmy Anderson’s 41st birthday. How the stars align.

What Can We Learn from Broad?

Despite initially being remembered for being hit for six sixes against Yuvraj Singh, Broad constructed a career of greatness, consistency, and longevity. By the time he was done with the England T20I side, he not only was England’s highest wicket-taker, but also a T20 World Cup winner.

This is a quality of great personalities. They realize that everyday might not go as planned, but they continue to believe and march forward.

That’s exactly what Broad did. Marched forward for seventeen years. Improving till the very last series, where he developed an outswing during the offseason to help him get rid of Marnus Labuschagne & Steve Smith.

Broad’s retirement took me by surprise. I am a bit sad but realize that we will see him in the commentary box for years to come. I will always remember his smooth flying action, those spells & hat-tricks, and most importantly, the joy he got from playing cricket and winning the crucial moments. A true match-winner. So, what can we learn from Stuart Broad?

Keep learning, keep moving, mentor others, lift the group, and never back down. All that while having fun. That’s what Broad’s life and career teach me.

The Legacy

Nasser Hussain & Mike Atherton summed it up perfectly.

“An undeniably great cricketer….He’s the complete article. The fitness, the hunger, the competitiveness, the skill, and being very clever and bright.”

Broad was an expert at wearing various hats. The commentator & analyst. The viral tweeter. The all-rounder & swashbuckling batter. The celebrappeal. The great entertainer.

For over a decade, Stuart Broad was England cricket and England cricket was Stuart Broad. With Jimmy Anderson, he gave us memories to last a lifetime.

It has been real, Stuart Broad.

What an incredible journey. Brilliant, wonderful career. What a player. What a man.

Peace out and have a wonderful second innings.

Facts About Broad

Stuart Broad Height

• 6 ft 5 in

Stuart Broad Age

• 37 years

Stuart Broad Net Worth ($1 million)

• $790,000 (Red ball Contract)
• $17,600 (Test match fees)

In 2023, he played 8 Tests& in 2020, he played 9 Tests. With the contract and match-fees, he earned $900000+. With brand endorsements & sponsorship deals, his net worth is welll over millions of dollars.

Personal Life

• Chris Broad (father)
• Mollie King (Partner)

Frequently Asked Questions

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 7/30/2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).