I never wanted that feeling of going six months too late with a torn hamstring: Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad vs Pakistan 2012. (Photo Source: LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP via Getty Images)

In a conversation with former cricketer AB de Villiers, legendary English bowler, Stuart Broad, revealed the driving force behind his retirement from professional cricket after the 2023 Ashes. The 37-year-old expressed his desire to leave the game on a high note, not when young batters might view his bowling as “rubbish.”

Broad, with an impressive Test career of 604 wickets from 167 matches at an average of 27.68, including 20 five-fers and three 10-wicket match hauls, explained that the decision was taken in his wish to remain competitive and still love the game. He emphasized,

“I wanted to finish at the 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,”  Broad said on ABD’s YouTube channel.

The former England pacer shared his concern about avoiding an extended exit or finishing his career on a sour note due to an injury as his decision-making process was fueled by his desire to conclude his journey on a high rather than succumbing to circumstances.

“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,” he admitted.

Broad, England’s leading wicket-taker in the Ashes with 153 scalps from 40 matches at an average of 28.96, cherished the thrilling finish to his career. In the final Ashes 2023 Test at The Oval, he took the last two wickets to secure a 2-2 series draw against Australia. He humbly shared,

“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.” Despite the surreal moment, he remained grounded, acknowledging that the feeling hadn’t fully sunk in.