The mood early on Day 4 of The Oval Test was always going to center around Stuart Broad from the moment the England veteran seamer revealed that the ongoing Test would be his last on Saturday.
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Early on the penultimate day of the final Test – with the series still open to an Australian win or England levelling – Broad walked in to bat with a loud round of applause from the crowd and a guard of honour from the Australian players.
To add to the theatre and his side’s second innings total, the left-handed batter would whack Mitchell Starc over deep mid wicket for six. As it turned out, it would be his last ball with the bat in the longest format, with Anderson dismissed in the next over and England bundled for 395.
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England managed to set a total of 384 for the World Test Champions in the final Test early in the first session. It would have to be a historic run chase for Australia to win the Test with the highest fourth innings chase at The Oval having been 263, dating all the way back to 1902.
Earlier on Saturday, Broad reminisced his cricket journey on Sky Sports, “It’s been a wonderful ride, a huge privilege to wear the Nottinghamshire and the England badge as much as I have and I’m loving cricket as much as I ever have. It’s been such a wonderful series to be a part of and I’ve always wanted to finish it on top. This series feels like one of the most enjoyable and entertaining I’ve been a part of.”
“[I decided] at about 8.30 last night. I’ve been thinking about it for the last few weeks but England v Australia has always been the pinnacle for me. I’ve loved the battles with Australia I’ve had personally and as a team. I’ve got a love affair with Ashes cricket and I think I wanted my last bat and bowl to be in the Ashes,” he added.