17 December 2023 , 12:57
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Stuart Broad's boots were covered in blood after he sensationally led England to victory against Australia in his final Test match.
Broad, 37, is one of cricket's greatest fast bowlers after taking 604 Test wickets. James Anderson is the only quick to eclipse his record (690). Spinners Muthiah Muralidaran (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) have also broken the 600-wicket barrier.
Broad retired from cricket after this summer's Ashes series, which ended in a 2-2 draw. England needed to win the final Test match at the Oval to deny Australia a first series win on British soil since 2001, something they managed to do thanks to Broad's brilliance.
He dismissed Todd Murphy and Alex Carey to take the final two wickets of Australia's second innings and wrap up a 49-run victory for England. Remarkably, Broad also dispatched a six with the final ball he faced in cricket during England's second innings.
Broad has recalled his finale while speaking to The Sun. He said: "Jimmy (Anderson) sent this WhatsApp message, he’d been videoing me. I took my boots off, there was blood everywhere, and I chucked them in the bin - that was me signalling, 'OK, I’m done'."
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Broad said he "didn't even remember" throwing his boots away because he was "knackered" after playing six Test matches back-to-back. As well as featuring in every Ashes contest, the veteran bowler also played against Ireland at the beginning of the summer.
He added: "When I saw that video it was as if there was this big light shining out like in the movies... People say it was a fairytale ending, but what’s the word for something even above a fairytale? I couldn’t have written a script that cool."
Broad hit a six with the final ball he faced as a batter and took a wicket with his final delivery (Getty Images)Who do you think should win BBC Sports Personality of the Year? Let us know in the comments below!
Broad's fairytale ending has been recognised by the BBC, with the Nottinghamshire legend nominated for this year's Sports Personality of the Year prize. The winner - decided by a public vote - will be declared during a live ceremony in Salford on Tuesday.
The other five nominees are Frankie Dettori (horse racing), Mary Earps (football), Alfie Hewett (wheelchair tennis), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (athletics) and Rory McIlroy (golfer). Earps, who helped the Lionesses reach the World Cup final, is the favourite.
Yet it wouldn't be a surprise to see Broad collect the award. Jim Laker (1956), David Steele (1975), Ian Botham (1981), Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff (2005) and Ben Stokes (2019) are the only cricketers to have been named as the BBC' Sports Personality of the Year.
Broad has described his cricketing exploits as "the greatest career I could have wished for" and has no regrets about retiring. He wants to spend more time with his fiancee Mollie King, who was a singer in The Saturdays, and their one-year daughter Annabella.