Picture Credit: Instagram
England Test captain Ben Stokes shared an emotional post for his teammate and friend Stuart Broad, who announced retirement from international cricket on Saturday. Notably, Broad has taken the field for one-last time in the ongoing fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia at The Oval.
Also Read: Stuart Broad reveals post-retirement plans; to continue his association with cricket
In the post which was supported by pictures, Ben Stokes showed the bond between the two players, who have been part of many memorable moments for England in the longest format of the game. Stokes posted three pictures with Broad on his Instagram account and captioned them “1 last 🕺”
Earlier, Broad received a guard of honor from Australia when he walked out to bat on day four of the final Test. He also got a standing ovation from the crowd when he came on to bowl for the last time on day five.
In the press conference after his retirement announcement, Broad was asked how he conveyed this decision to captain Stokes.The pacer replied: “At half-eight, I just texted Stokesy saying: ‘Can I come and see you?’ I walked in, shook his hand, and said: ‘That’s me. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me’. I feel really great, and I feel even better that we’ve had a brilliant day today. I was a bit nervous this morning, thinking that if we lose early wickets, I could feel a bit devastated.”
In the Oval Test, Broad joined James Anderson as the only pacers to reach 600 Test wickets, and he also became the third bowler in Ashes history to record 150 or more Ashes Test wickets.
Broad has amassed eight five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul in his 167 Test career to date. Broad played his final ODI match in 2016, finishing with 178 wickets, and also played 56 T20I games, the last of which was played in 2014, in which Broad collected 65 wickets.