“He considered it last summer, but Baz and Stokesy managed to talk him out of it” - James Anderson discloses Broad thought of quitting earlier
England fast bowling legend James Anderson has divulged that Stuart Broad had thoughts of retiring from professional cricket last season but was talked out of it by Test captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
After an illustrious career, Broad retired following England’s triumph in The Oval Test. It was a fairytale finish as the pacer claimed the last two Australian wickets. The hosts won the Test by 49 runs to square the Ashes series 2-2.
In his column for The Telegraph, Anderson opened up on the retirement of his long-time fast bowling partner.
“Stuart told me about his retirement over a coffee before we got on the team bus for the third day’s play.
"I was a bit shocked initially, but when it sank in, it was not a surprise. He considered it last summer, but Baz and Stokesy managed to talk him out of it,” the 41-year-old wrote.
Anderson further revealed that the England team presented Broad with a boxed bottle of champagne as a leaving present with each player writing a personal message.
On what he wrote, the veteran cricketer disclosed:
“It was hard crunching 15 years of cricket together in a couple of sentences. I just wrote ‘it’s hard to know where to start. Thanks for all the memories, I owe you so much’.
“I might send him a little gift in the next few weeks when I’ve properly thought about it. We talked about the photo of us going out to bat on day five at the Oval, perhaps I will get a couple of those blown up. It is definitely the one photo I would like hanging in my house,” Anderson added.
Thank you, @StuartBroad8 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Qbi7TvGYDY
Broad ended his international career on a high, finishing as England’s leading wicket-taker in Ashes 2023. He played all five Tests and claimed 22 wickets at an average of 28.41.
“He deserved his own send-off” - Anderson on him and Broad not retiring together
Sharing his thoughts on Broad’s retirement, Anderson opined that the right-arm pacer got the perfect farewell. He was also glad that the two did not bow out of cricket together, as Broad deserved his own send-off.
“If you look back on the Ashes series, as he said himself it was the perfect way to go out. It was nice we did not go out at the same time together as well.
"We have always been put in a bracket as a partnership, but he is in his own right one of the best bowlers England have ever produced, so he deserved his own send-off,” Anderson wrote.
Simply incredible numbers 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ukPRuBKAnl
While Broad was the second-leading wicket-taker in Ashes 2023, Anderson had an underwhelming series, claiming just five wickets in four Tests at an average of 85.40.