ENG vs AUS: "I'm A Bit Emotional And A Bit Surprised" - Alastair Cook On Stuart Broad's Retirement Decision
Published - 30 Jul 2023, 06:12 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:16 AM
Former England captain Alastair Cook reacted to England pacer Stuart Broad’s retirement from international cricket, describing his decision as a bit emotional and surprising. Alastair Cook said that Stuart Broad provided match-winning performances for his side, along with skipper Ben Stokes.
Stuart Broad made an announcement on Saturday, July 29, that the Ashes final against Australia would be his final appearance in international cricket.
The right-arm pacer has picked up 602 wickets in 167 matches in red-ball cricket, making him the second-leading wicket-taker among pacers.
Stuart Broad Is About Big Moments – Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook highlighted that England’s next away series in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle is in subcontinent conditions in India and Sri Lanka, where Stuart Broad doesn’t fit in the playing XI.
“I’m a bit emotional and a bit surprised. But if you look at the schedule for Stuart Broad. You have India away, Sri Lanka and West Indies next summer. No offence to those sides but Broad is about big moments,” Cook said on BBC.
“So for him to get through to another big moment is probably another two-and-a-half years. The one player to deliver, alongside Ben Stokes, in the big moments is Stuart Broad. And what a feeling that must be for a player,” he added.
Broad was the second-leading wickettaker in the Ashes 2023, picking up 20 wickets with an average of 28.20. He played for England in six matches this summer, including the one-off Test match against Ireland.
Stuart Broad Announces His Retirement
Stuart Broad made his Test debut during England’s tour of Sri Lanka in December 2007. Broad completed the six hundred wickets milestone in the fourth match of the Ashes series at Old Trafford in Manchester, becoming the fifth player to achieve that feat in the longer format of the game.
The 37-year-old recently surpassed the legendary English all-rounder Ian Botham’s (149) wicket tally in the history of the Ashes. He has represented the nation in 121 ODIs and 56 T20Is, taking 178 and 65 wickets, respectively. He was part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2010.
