By India Today Sports Desk: Stuart Broad gave everything left in his tank in the final spell of his cricket career. The 37-year-old, who announced he would be retiring after the final Ashes Test in London, bowled with incredible intensity, which propelled him to greatness, as England were hunting the last two Australian wickets in a thrilling final session on Day 5 of the 5th Ashes Test.
Stuart Broad, who is the only England bowler who played all 5 Ashes Tests, bowled 6.4 overs on the trot in the final session as England needed its best bowler of the series to step up and knock off the last two poles. However, Australia’s wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey and tail-ender Todd Murphy came up with a defiant effort, adding 36 runs for the 9th wicket after batting out nearly 10 overs.
Ashes, 5th Test Day 5: Highlights | Report
England’s push was delayed by the grit of Carey and Murphy as Australia crumbled from 264 for 3 to 294 for 8 as Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali ran riot at The Oval.
However, Ben Stokes turned to Stuart Broad for one last time in the fast bowler’s career and the 37-year-old responded like he always has in his sensational career.
There was Broad magic in what a fitting final spell from the champion bowler. He came up with the cheeky bail trick to end the 35-run partnership. He switched bails at the non-striker’s end and had a wry smile on his face as he prepared to bowl at Todd Murphy. The delivery that followed was a ripper as it took the outside edge of the tail-ender who looked good against the swinging delivery. However, Murphy’s stay ended after that piece of magic.
Broad celebrated, The Oval roared as England inched closer toward victory.
And in a well-deserved fairytale finish to the Test, to the series, and Broad’s career, it was the veteran paceman who got the final wicket, once again with a ripper that swung away and had Alex Carey edging one to the keeper.
Australia were all-out for 334. England won by 49 runs, leveling the series 2-2.
And Stuart Broad finished a fairytale career with 604 wickets in 167 Tests.
BAIL TRICK FROM MAGICIAN BROAD
It was not the first time that Broad employed the unusual bail-swapping tactic. His act on Day 2 of the fifth Test caught everyone’s attention. This trick involved the seemingly innocuous act of switching the position of the bails on the stumps.
Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s century-maker from the previous Test, was at the crease. Broad, in a bid to change his team’s fortunes, decided to switch around the bails of Labuschagne’s wicket. This act was based on what Broad believed to be an Australian superstition used to change luck in similar situations.
Broad’s action was not unnoticed. Labuschagne, known for his meticulousness about the positioning of the bails, immediately checked everything before facing up to the next delivery. The following ball, delivered by Chris Woakes, resulted in Labuschagne’s dismissal. The edge was brilliantly caught by Joe Root at slip, marking a significant shift in the game’s momentum.
“I have heard it’s an Aussie change of luck thing. I’ve seen Nathan Lyon do it. We had a few play and misses in the morning session and we needed to make a breakthrough and I thought: ‘I’ll have a little change of the bails.’ It just worked out pretty magically,” Broad had explained.
What a career, what a bowler, what a personality!
