Stuart Broad Played Mind-Games Yet Again On The Final Day: Veteran seamer Stuart Broad’s Test cricket career concluded in a fairytale fashion. With a magical performance at The Oval, Broad took the final two wickets, leading England to a thrilling 49-run victory in the Ashes finale.
Monday evening saw Australia’s challenging collapse of 5-30. Alex Carey, Australia’s wicketkeeper, and young spinner Todd Murphy then built a resilient 35-run partnership. This partnership for the ninth wicket became a source of frustration for England. With only two wickets needed to tie the series and Australia just 55 runs shy of a record target, the situation was intense.
In a bid to forge a breakthrough, Broad resorted to an unconventional move. He switched the bails at the non-striker’s end – a tactic that had proven successful just three days prior. This unexpected action was met with a round of facetious cheers from the crowd.
Against all odds, Broad’s next delivery was a masterstroke. His ball artfully avoided Murphy, a left-hander, and lightly touched the outer edge. Jonny Bairstow, the wicketkeeper, seized the opportunity, and Broad’s bold strategy proved triumphant.
The crowd, many sporting bandannas in Broad’s honour, waited for over 90 overs to see the right-armer claim a wicket. Broad confessed to BBC Test Match Special post-match, “I’ve honestly just made it up in this game.” He expressed regret at not having experimented with this innovative method a decade earlier, adding, “It’s absolute nonsense, maybe I should’ve tried it years before.”
He said: “I’ve honestly just made it up in this game. I wish I would’ve started it ten years ago. I had a few play and misses, especially to Travis Head and because it was swinging away from the left-hander so I thought I would change the bails again and it managed to nick the next ball. It’s absolute nonsense, maybe I should’ve tried it years before.”
Stuart Broad Reckons That He Should Have Tried The Bail-Flip Years Ago
After celebrating with his teammates, Broad approached the stumps to affectionately pat the bails. His spectacular performance didn’t end there. Four overs later, he secured England’s victory by dismissing Carey, again caught by Bairstow. Broad’s final delivery with the bat was a six, and his last delivery with the ball, fittingly, a wicket.
Stuart Broad, there are no words.#EnglandCricket| #Ashes pic.twitter.com/yy2MQmviBk
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2023
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Broad’s stunning exit from Test cricket was hailed by Australian bowler Mitchell Starc, who said, “He couldn’t have written that any better, finishing it the way he did.”
Broad, who completed his Test career with a staggering 604 wickets, exited the field along with Moeen Ali, a spinner who came out of retirement for this series. The pair received a standing ovation from the crowd, capping off Broad’s extraordinary farewell. His tactical innovation, coupled with his renowned bowling prowess, have left an indelible mark on the sport of cricket.
