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Follow UsWhen cricket’s record books are written, there are very few names that would rank above Stuart Broad. The tall right-arm pacer remained England’s bowling mainstay for nearly 15 years, and formed, with James Anderson, one of the most lethal bowling duos the world had ever seen.
Broad announced his retirement at the end of the day’s play yesterday, a shock to most people. But, like they say, it’s better to leave when the question is “why” and not “when.”
In an international career that saw 37 four-fors, 21 five-fors, 13 fifties, and a solitary century - it doesn’t get any easier to come up with Broad’s top performances. However, we’ve still given an attempt in doing just that.
Do remember that this is in no order.
Broad’s all-round performance seals the deal in Nottingham (2011)
A series whose ghosts continue to haunt Indian cricket fans was also the coming-of-age for Broad the all-rounder. Fresh off a seven-wicket match haul and an unbeaten 74 in the first Test, the lanky Nottingham-born pacer came into his own at his home ground.
After being asked to bat first, the trio of Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, and S Sreesanth wreaked havoc with the new ball to reduce the hosts to 124/8. Broad performed the rescue act with a brilliant 66-ball 64 to lead England to a respectable 221.
And it was Broad’s turn yet again in the second innings - this time, with the ball. At 267/4 and a lead of 46, a healthy first-innings lead seemed imminent for India. In walked Broad for a spell with the new ball. Four overs, five runs, and five wickets including a hat trick, and the visitors only managed a lead of 67.
The all-round performance seemed to have flipped a switch within the team, as England batted like ‘men on a mission’ in the second innings. They blazed through to 544 at 4.5 RPO, and set a target of 458 for the Indians to chase. Broad accounted for the wicket of Rahul Dravid, the first-innings centurion, and the last wicket of the Test, as England defeated India by 319 runs.
Broad magic in Jo'burg (2016)
England led the three-match series 1-0, as the action moved to the final Test in Johannesburg with the series on the line. After taking a slender first-innings lead of 10, England started poorly in a mini pre-lunch session as they conceded 23 runs in six overs.
No one knows what Broad had for lunch, but a beast walked in post-lunch. In a span of 10 overs, Broad ripped the South African batting line-up apart, accounting for all of their top 5 batters. He then dismissed Faf du Plessis to pocket the entire top 6 and end the innings with figures of 6/17 in 12 overs and hand England a much-needed overseas series win.
All-round brilliance in white-ball cricket (2007)
Broad might predominantly be known for his red-ball exploits, but he was more than capable with the white ball as well. The 2007 ODI series vs India was a blockbuster in every aspect. Boundaries, wickets, thrillers, run chases, the seven-match series saw it all.
Manchester was the venue for this Broad special. After losing the Test series, the ODIs were England’s only shot at salvaging some respect. 2-1 up in the series, a win here would have all but ended the series for the visitors.
After opting to bat first, India could only muster 212 courtesy of Broad’s four-for. He took the all-important wicket of Yuvraj Singh amongst others.
Chasing 213, England’s top order folded quickly as they were reduced to 114/7, with the target still 99 runs away. Broad decided the wield the magic wand - his bat. His partnership with Ravi Bopara ensured that no more wickets fell, as they chased the total down with two overs to spare to go 3-1 up in the series.
Broad - the batter - announces himself at Lord's (2010)
That Broad features in the Lord’s Honours Board is no secret. But, what’s surprising is that his first entry on the board came for his performance with the bat.
A match that is now infamous for the spot-fixing scandal that emerged from it, but takes nothing away from his performance.
After a 17-year-old Mohammad Amir restricted England to just 102/7, Broad joined Jonathan Trott in the middle. Mind you, this was a time when Broad still fancied himself as an all-rounder. And this performance was a testament to that sentiment. On a slowish Lord’s surface, Broad deployed the sweep to good effect to score a daddy hundred and help England post a daunting 446 on board. His 169 is still the highest by an England #9 and is only behind Ian Smith’s 170 in Test history.
Broad gobbles Australia up in first session (2015)
This might be the one performance that is etched in every cricket viewer’s mind, and rightly so. Getting eight wickets in an innings is rare enough, but to do so in a spell requires some skill.
Broad had demonstrated his affinity for wicket bursts several times in the past - till then, there had been five instances of Broad picking up five or more wickets in a spell. But, nothing had prepared the Aussies for what he was about to unleash at Trent Bridge.
After receiving a 5-0 drubbing in the hands of Australia just over 18 months ago, this series was England’s only way of getting back at their Ashes counterparts. And boy did they get back.
Having won the toss, England opted to field first. With the series on the line, Broad exploited the conditions on offer as he singlehandedly bundled the Aussies out for 60. Very rarely has the result in a five-day fixture been a foregone conclusion in the first couple of hours. This was possible only due to Broad’s feat.
