Stuart Broad opens on his early retirement after the recently concluded Ashes series
England’s leading wicket-taker in the Ashes said he wanted to end his carrier on a high and wanted people to remember him for his good bowling
Stuard Broad shocked everybody when the fast bowler announced his retirement after the conclusion of the Ashes Series. Broad ended his career as England’s leading wicket-taker in the Ashes series with 153 wickets in 40 matches at an average of 28.96 and helped England level the series 2-2 by picking up crucial wickets on the final day of the series. Stuard Broad ended up as one of the all-time greats in the history of test cricket for England. He ended his test career with 604 wickets at an average of 27.68 in 167 matches.
The Toughest Decision
Talking to AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel, Stuart Broad said “Moving on from the game is one of the toughest decisions you could ever make. For me, I wanted to still love the game. I wanted to still know I could compete at the top level when I moved on. Ultimately, I wanted to finish at the very top. I’d almost say that one of my biggest fears was bowling against 20-year-old opening batters and them going, ‘I heard he was good, but he’s rubbish’. I knew I wanted to finish while I can still do it.” The fast bowler also said that once he was sure he wanted to stay on top and not settle for anything less the decision became simpler.
The Timing
In the words of Broad, I never wanted that feeling of going six months too late or finishing with my last act on a cricket field being a torn hamstring and you are never seen again. That was tearing my mind a bit. As soon as I got to grips with the feeling of wanting to finish on top… England vs Australia has always been the pinnacle for me in my career.” Reflecting on the timing of the decision Broad said I’ve never thought it could have ended up in the fairy tale that it did, actually taking a wicket with the final ball to win a Test match. It hasn’t sunk in yet, it’s probably been only 10 days. I have no regrets. I am feeling very calm and relaxed about the situation.”
