Ashes 2023: Retiring Stuart Broad reflects on Yuvraj Singh’s six-hitting assault

Retiring cricketer Stuart Broad, stunned the entire cricketing world when he announced his retirement from Test cricket on Saturday, July 29. Broad, 37, is one of England’s finest bowlers to have played Tests and has been leading the pace attack for the Three Lions alongside James Anderson since making his Test debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo.

Quite similarly to his entire Test playing career, the onus is yet again on his shoulders to deliver for the Three Lions as the Ben Stokes-led side eyes to end the ongoing Ashes on level terms.

The hosts are currently leading by 377 runs in their 2nd innings of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval and still have a wicket remaining with two days left in the contest. Broad was brilliant with the ball during Australia’s first innings, though he claimed only two scalps, he kept applying the pressure from one end and just conceded 49 runs in his 20-over spell.

Skipper Stokes will have his hopes pinned on Broad yet again as the tall pacer prepares for his swansong at The Oval. The Nottingham-born had already announced his retirement from ODIs and T20Is in 2022 and enjoyed a career full of glorious moments. However, in his international career that spanned over 16-long-years, the right-arm pacer also had to deal with some massive lows which dented his confidence badly.

One of those lowest points of his career came during the inaugural edition of the ICC World Twenty 20 in South Africa (2007) when he got hit for six sixes by India’s Yuvraj Singh at the Kingsmead in Durban. Broad ended with harrowing figures of none for 60 in his four overs after Yuvraj took him to the cleaners.

Reflecting on the same during the press conference after the end of day 3 of The Oval Test, Broad mentioned that he was pretty raw back then and the beating that he received that evening helped him become a much better fast bowler.

“Yeah, it was obviously a pretty tough day. What would I have been: 21, 22? [22] I learnt loads. I pretty much based a whole mental routine through that experience knowing that I was left very short as an international performer in that moment. I’d rushed my preparation. I didn’t have any sort of pre-ball routine. I didn’t have any focus, particularly, and I started building my ‘warrior mode’ that I call it after that experience,” said Broad.

“Ultimately, of course, I wish that didn’t happen. I think what really helped me was it was a dead rubber, so it didn’t feel like I’d knocked us out of the World Cup or something. But I think it steeled me up to make me the competitor I am to this day and has driven me forward a huge amount,” he added.

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