OTD | Former England batter and match referee, Chris Broad turns 66

On this day in 1957, Brian Christopher Broad, famously known as Chris Broad, was born in Bristol. Cricket fans nowadays recognize him as Stuart Broad’s father but he has more to his credentials. A courageous lanky left-handed opening batsman who is still known for his outspoken approach to whatever he does in his life. Be it officiating matches with huge consequences or playing fascinating shots against arch-rivals Somerset, he has done it all. 

Senior Broad played 25 test matches and 34 One-Day Internationals for England scoring 1661 runs with an average of 39.55. However, more than the statistics accumulated on the field it is the character of an individual that is reminisced. He was diagnosed with osteomyelitis at the age of 15 but he overcame it and continued his cricket. His in-the-face attitude came to the fore when England toured Australia in 1986-87. He smashed 487 runs with 3 consecutive centuries against the Aussies and thundered the Kangaroos down under. He surpassed every other batsman in that series, along with his teammates Veteran David Gower and Mike Gatting, which stamped his authority in the English side. Broad smashed his maiden century in a dominating innings of 162 runs on a bouncy track of WACA in Perth. Adelaide Oval and the hallowed MCG also witnessed his heroics later in that series. 

Chris Broad could register such performances in testing conditions in Australia only because he was forthright about his ambitions. The towering left-hander left Gloucestershire in 1984 as he felt it was nearly impossible for him to get a national call-up playing for a county like Gloucestershire. He joined Nottinghamshire and justified his conviction by getting a national call-up in the same year for a series against West Indies. 

Broad’s England career was short-lived but it was impactful, littered with some remarkable innings. His cricketing career came full circle when he returned to Gloucestershire at the tail end of his career. Broad played 25 Tests and 34 One-Day Internationals and 340 First-Class games.  He finished with 21,892 First-Class runs at an average of 38.07 with a top score of 227. 

After bidding adieu to cricket, he picked up the mic and did a commentary stint with the BBC. He shifted his trade and took up officiating as a match referee starting with the series between New Zealand and Pakistan. Since then, he has left his imprint on international cricket as an official with utmost integrity and respect for the game. 

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