Chris Broad was a former English cricketer who played for England mostly in the 1980s. It was a time when batting was not easy and some of the best bowlers in the world like Dennis Lillee, Malcolm Marshall, Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Kapil Dev, and others wreaked havoc among batters with their fast and accurate bowling. England themselves had Ian Botham, Bob Willis, and others.
England was a formidable side in the early 1980s. One of the key reasons for their success in the period was Broad, who played a key role as an opening batter. The 65-year-old played a key role in the away Ashes in 1986, which was won by England. Broad was the highest run scorer of England in the series. In his career, Broad played many great knocks. Fans remember it even today. Here are the top 3 best innings from Chris, the father of Stuart Broad, in Test cricket.
162 against Australia in WACA (1986)
It was the second Test of the series. On a pacy wicket in Perth, England won the toss and elected to bat first. The visiting side just batted, batted, and batted. The batters scored a hundred for England. Chris Broad was the highest run getter for England in the innings. The wicket got better with the progression of the innings. But the resilience and the determination of Broad was fantastic.
In his stay in the middle, Broad scored 162 runs in 313 balls, which included 25 boundaries. The defense of Broad was compact, which was appreciated by everyone. Against an attack consisting of Geoff Lawson, Chris Matthews, Bruce Reid, Steve Waugh, Allan Border, and Greg Matthews, Broad registered his career best score. The efforts of Broad were fruitful, as England drew the Test in Perth.
139 vs Australia at SCG (1988)
It was the first Test of the Ashes in 1988. The visiting side had to win it to start the series on a good note. England won the toss and elected to bat first on a good batting surface in Sydney. Despite batters not playing long innings at the other end, Broad ensured that he stayed in the middle as long as possible. The wicket became tricky with the progression of the match, which became difficult for the batters.
Against an attack consisting of Craig McDermott, Anthony Dodemaide, Peter Taylor, Steve Waugh, and Peter Sleep, England managed to score 425 runs. Broad scored 139 runs in 361 balls in his stay in the middle. It was the second highest individual score in his Test career. The knock of Broad included 13 boundaries and a lot of running. England drew the Test in Sydney.
116 against Pakistan in Faisalabad (1987)
It was the second Test of the series between England and Pakistan. The home side rolled out a rank turner to counter the English batters. On a tricky wicket, Broad scored one of his finest hundreds to give England the upper hand in the match. It was yet another marathon knocks from Broad when England needed him the most in one of the most challenging conditions to bat.
In his stay in the middle, Broad faced 339 balls and scored 116 runs, which included 13 fours. Against an attack consisting of Aamer Malik, Mudassar Nazar, Abdul Qadir, Tausif Ahmed, Iqbal Qasim, and Shoaib Mohammad, Broad scored a fabulous ton with his gritty stay in the middle. The knock of Broad was well appreciated by everyone, despite the match ending without a result due to the interruption of rain.