Test Match Special - From The Ashes: Stuart Broad

Episode Date: October 20, 2025

The BBC's Chief Cricket Reporter Stephan Shemilt speaks to Stuart Broad about his incredible Ashes career.Broad looks back from winning The Ashes in 2009, to his 8-15 at Trent Bridge in 2015, his career's finale at The Oval in 2023, and THAT moment he didn't walk at Trent Bridge in 2013.

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And Stuart Broad takes the final wicket in a dream finale. Broad comes in and bowls to Agar. Agar swings the short ball away. He could be caught. He's out. He's caught in the deep. He's out for 98. A wonderful.

Numberful, Dubu comes to an end. In goes bick up, dashing up and bowls outside the off stump. He laces it through the offside. He won't go for four. It'll certainly go for one. That's all that Michael Vaughn wants. He goes back for the second. He's got his helmet off.

His bat is raised. And Michael Vaughn scores his first century against Australia. Today, I'm speaking to a man whose entire life has been entwined with Ashes Cricket. Stuart Broad was only six months old when his father, Chris, was making 300. in England's 1986-87 triumph in Australia. Stuart grew up to become an Ashes legend, taking more wickets against Australia

than any other England bowler. Not walking, 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge, having the wood over David Warner and his fairy tale finale at the Oval two years ago. This is from the Ashes, Stuart Broad. Stuart, I guess The place to start is, for you more than anyone else, the ashes must have just been your life. Before you even knew about it, the ashes was a factor in your very being.

Absolutely, yeah. I was born June the 24th, 1980s, and it was that winter, 86, 87 that my dad went on the famous ashes tour of Mike Gatting, both them. and he won player of the series, scored three centuries in Australia, so I've been six, seven months old, but already sort of engaged in what the ashes will grow to be. And I think what led to me really understanding the history and what Ashes cricket meant to my family was most kids at three, four, five are probably watching postman patterns.

So if I had on top, down, under, six, eight, six, eight, seven Ashes videos to watch. So I knew he used to watch that video all the time, So I knew what my dad had achieved and grew a lot of enthusiasm and love. So, you know, I remember the Duncan Fernie Magnum. He used my first ever bat was a Duncan Fernie Magnum, little size. And, you know, I suppose just at a young age instilled in me the love of Ashes Cricket. And from then on the pain of Ashes Cricket, if I'm honest, you know, from that, So all my living childhood, we didn't win the ashes.

It was just McGrath, Steve Waugh, Blangett Hayden, punting, worn, just nailing us until 2005 when I was playing professional cricket and involved in watching that amazing series. And so, yeah, my influential years of probably 10 to 16 of really watching cricket, we went through quite a lot of hurt, didn't we, as England fans?

And that instilled in me I didn't just want to play Ashes cricket I wanted to win it. What about the competitiveness and the way that you would go on to play the game and want to get in the battle and knowing that particular moments

brought out the best in you? Was that probably instilled into you right then even without you knowing it? I think watching England lose was definitely insulated. instilling a real drive in me to see England win and play a part in England winning. I think naturally I got my dad's competitive spirit. Famously, he didn't walk in Pakistan when given out off the thigh pad

and kicked his stumps over 100-whatever at Sydney. So he had a standard that he set for himself and was quite passionate in the way he played the game. me, he was someone that instilled in me, part of my goal as a player, I never wanted someone to look at me and go, I could give more for that shirt, or I could play with more enthusiasm or more drive or more, or energy. And that definitely came from my dad because every time he pulled an England shirt, he wore it with such pride and passion. And arguably, I think probably if he'd had played in a more stable ear, would have played more, actually, if it's a very successful Nottinghamshire team and did well in an England shirt.

So, yeah, there was definitely a competitiveness instilled in me from a young age, but actually backguard and cricket for me was quite honest when I said, I was McGraw running into bowl, I was Pollock, I was Hayden batting, Lara batting, and I just played with mates in the village with a taped-up tennis ball, swinging it around, but competitive, you know, we'd be on it every time we played and we loved it. so that I think I did the majority of my learning in the back garden actually I know they talk about academies and and going through the age groups but you're your best coach and you learn the most from just try an error

and I would just try everything in the back garden leg spin swing out swing pounces different types of balls and you know I'd watch a bit of cricket on the telly strength of back garden and play we could talk about so many different parts of your Ash's career and drill down and talk about loads of different moments in depth. We're going to talk more about the end of it. But the context of the end of your career comes through everything that you went through beforehand, the layers of that story. And you know, you've just said that there was something instilled in you

that you wanted to play Ashes cricket and you wanted to do well in it. And you did relatively a relatively young age and you did well at a relatively young age. Your first taste of an Ashes series you won and you were instrumentally. in winning a decider. Back goes potting. He's bold. Broad had him playing into his stumps. A good delivery.

Hit the pitch, cut back. He's chopped it into his stumps. And Brod is embraced by his teammates. A huge wicket for England. Ponting playing on for eight. But until that point, did you feel at home in test cricket, until you took that 5 for 37 in the Ashes decider at the Oval, Was that the first time you felt really at home in an England shirt

or had that come before? 100% the first time I felt at home, yeah. I don't know how many tests I played, maybe 14, 15, but because we had the talent of Flintov who could bat six and he was your best bowler really as well. So I was almost the fourth seamer. A young lad sort of chucked the ball when nothing was happening or I remember at Edgebaston in the second test.

third test. I didn't bolt for the 68 though or something from memory came on and thought right this is my chance. So I played a sort of a bit part role I felt. I actually scored some handy runs in that series but I didn't feel like I had a huge influence the ball. Then headingly the fourth test I picked up a six for in a losing cause which never means anything. I never really meant anything to me but it still made me think okay well I can get good players out. Got to the or didn't really know if I was going to play or not because Freddie was coming back fitness-wise and Strauss and Flower

ended up going with me over Graham Onion who ball brilliant in the series and just had that spell that I didn't necessarily know I could do, to be honest. It's sort of, we've got Fifeer in the spell, blew open the Australia's first innings and definitely at the end of that test match thought if I could do that against

Ponting, Hussie, Clark Haddon Watson, I could do that against anyone and that definitely made me feel a bit more at home but I still wouldn't think I knew what type of bowler exactly I wanted to be and started to grow in 13, 15. I was about there but yeah, 2009 was the first spell I walked off the field and went, maybe I do belong in this England shirt.

What about that as a taste of Ash's success as well, that first taste of winning an Ashes series? I'll never forget. I'll never forget the feeling. There was a couple of moments that really stick out to me. After that, Fifer, I remember walking down the stairs at the Oval on the Saturday. And someone asked my autograph and it was the front page of the paper. And I thought, oh, I remember looking at it going, wow, that's different.

I've seen myself on the front page of the paper before. And that moment of waiting for Andrew Strauss, the captain, to finish his interview with the urn on a platform, with all the team waiting, at the most beautiful pavilion full of people, full of cameras, that moment of waiting for the champagne to go and lift the air and just remember that feeling of great satisfaction, actually, because Ashes Cricket is, it's everything you wish it to be, it tests everything about you.

It's a complete roller coaster. And if you can finish that roller coaster lifting the air, and it brings an amazing, amazing satisfaction and feeling that you want to repeat over and over again. So I do remember lifting that in 2009, going, I want to do that again. The thing with 2009 is there'd been a little bit of, I don't know, chaos or peeve while in the England team.

Before that, Andrew Strauss had become captain relatively late near that series in the Caribbean in the previous winter. And it was only just sort of the start of that great team. And you had time in the build up to 10-11 and setting out a plan to go and win the ashes. in Australia and there are players of that team who speak so fondly

of that experience as one of the highlights of their career but you got injured after two tests and had to come home did you come home? Yeah and so how'd you reflect on that as you were an Ashes winner in Australia but you only played two of the matches

is it bittersweet for you? Yeah for sure I probably look at leading up to it So we did a trip to Munich. We built to that Asher series for a long time. So although, yes, that was the tip of the iceberg of the team winning it, I felt like I'd contributed leading up into feeling like the squad was in a great place

and played, we had a brilliant time in the war on games that were quite competitive and we were trying to stamp our authority on Australian soil and I played at the Gaba where we did a lot of fielding actually. We bowled really well, we just couldn't get Australia. out and then cookie and cookie got double didn't he and trotty a big hundred so it was a long draw and physically I was very tiring I remember sort of getting on the plane from Brisbane out to adelaide and thinking gosh I don't think I've ever been as tired as this the emotion of everything and it was second innings at adelaide I was running into bowl and I felt like a bit of a pain in

my ab and then I bowed one more ball and honestly it was the sharpest sorest pain I've ever had in my ab and then I tried to bowl one more ball and knew I was in big trouble and yeah sweating obviously was really hot walked down into the change room sort of underground there and I'm not an emotional person particularly but I remember lifted up my shirt and I could see already bruising and the doctor at the time was called nick pierce who lived in nottingham I knew him well he'd sort of got me to that point really and he just looked at it and just gave me a massive hug because he obviously knew

that my tour was over and I just burst out crying and so I do remember feeling a huge amount of sadness but I also realized international sport just moves very quickly because I arrived at the ground

the next morning so I knew I'd had my scan I knew I'm like three months or two months and team manager go you're on a plane home tonight she's just like you know I couldn't believe it

I was like what would you have stayed if you could of course yeah 24 year old in Australia sort of Ashesira paid to go and watch it to be honest so actually I was chatting to Jonathan Agnew after the game

or that sort of day and he could see I was visibly quite upset and devastated and I know Agers he was president of my career club growing up and family friend and he just said come to Perth let's work with us

come and learn about it. Learn about radio. I said, you sure? He said, yeah, you know, can't promise you any payment, but I could sort of your hotel room. I said, I'd love to. And, yeah, sort of him and boics and haggars for the week at Perth,

only doing tea time or a bit here and there, but loved it and then flew home after the Perth test match. So yeah, I remember watching Boxing Day with my dad a night of Christmas Day for us at his house and then the time difference was quite hard to watch from home isn't it? So then the guys win in Sydney and you sort of watch the highlights but yeah it taught me a lesson in the fact that as soon as you're not in the team at the top level the sport moves on you know you can't sit there

thinking they'll wait for you or anything you're what I mean so it was just my job to go back and get myself as fit as possible for the next challenge in 2013 So two years on from England winning the ashes in Australia Was that the time when the, I don't know, antagonism, for one of a better word, the relationship between you and Australia, however that developed, that that began. 13?

Yeah, with what happened at Trent Bridge. And obviously that's because Brad Haddon can't catch, right? There's a few things. There's quite a layered situation, and I had no idea it should have been a situation. You know, I've got a fine edge. Brad Haddon's thumb to first slip. So I knew I'd nicked it.

So the game situation at the time, second innings, England lead by 232, you're 37 not out. Ashton Agar's bowling. That's the test match when he makes 98, almost becomes the first number 11 to make a test match, 100. Like you say, Edge, Haddins gloves

into the hands of Michael Clark at first slip, and you stand there. by Agar. Broad's out. He's out. He's flicked that away to slip, I think. He's been taken by Clark. They're appealing. And Alan Dar, hang on, Alan Dar is saying not out. Australia have got no reviews left. Broad's coming up leading on his back. That looks to me as a bit edged it straight to slip. And Alan Dar is saying, not out. And Australians are furious. Absolutely furious. You have no reviews left, lads. Broad hasn't walked. He's wandering up and talking to Ian Bell. They're standing there and Alim Dar is coming down to talk to somebody. He's handing a cat back to the bowler. Now, let's have a look at the replay. It looks amazing. We just run it off the bat straight to slip. Let's have a look. And he did. Straight off his head off the bat. Straight to him off the wicket keepers. Let's have a look. He's edged it from outside the off-stub. It's just flicked, had it on the way through. And he's parked.

takes a simple catch, he's out. And I don't blame Australia for being really, really gnarped about that for goodness sake. I think it might just have flicked Haddon's glove. And Clark takes the catch, that's out in any, well, anywhere you want. And it's disappointing, I must say, to see someone standing for that. But Broad is not walking. He stood there. There are no reviews left.

Was a crucial game, you know, what did we win that test by? 15 runs. 15 runs. I got, ended up getting another 30, 40 maybe. so I didn't think anything of it just went down an end of the over belly touch gloves he said did you nick that I was like yeah I nicked it but

there had no reviews and I'm not a walker didn't think it so played the rest of that day out and then got to the end of the day and Andy Flower came to me and was like you're right I was like yeah fine can you do press tonight I was like yeah always if you've been

in part of the day it's just going to be quite a tricky one because what happened and I went what happened what did you mean He goes, well, you're Nicky and not walking. I was like, everyone does that. Well, it's become quite a story. And as it unfolded, I think it became a story.

So it was the last Saturday before the football season. So all the sports writers were in, Martin Samuels, Holly Holt, instead of the cricket writers. Obviously, the sports editors, they know a lot about the sport, but they don't know necessarily the intricacies of how it all works. So when I look at reflect on it, they wanted a big story. That was a big moment. you, your poor Newman's, your Dean Wilsons, who live and breathe the cricket every day, they didn't write about that being a big story

or a cheating scandal or anything. It was the sports writers that really moved it up a level. And then it was Darren Lehman on a morning radio show with the blatant cheat comment that exploded it. Again, he sort of called all Australians to send me home crying, didn't it? So that then blew it up into a bigger thing. But ultimately, I look back at that series.

I'll ask you a question. Trenbridge Tess that was so tight, 15 to win. How did that end? Brad Haddon. What did he do? He had to be behind and didn't walk. And we had to review it. And you asked him, didn't you?

Did you? Yeah, he was like, yeah, I smashed it. So we were just hoping it was going to show on Ultra Edge or whenever it was at the time hotspot. So, you know, that, I think I played with one Walker in my whole career, and that was Graham Swan, just because he just hit the ball in the air to cover and got out. You know what I mean? Honestly, I think if you went through that series and looked back at players

that waited for the umpires decision or Nick the board didn't walk or was given not out, loads. I think the Australian impression of you as well probably wasn't helped by the fact that he then went and bowled how you did in Durham to win the series. So not only have they had that against you

that they're not walking in inverted commas but you've just bowled them out to win the series and unusually there is an Ashes tour straight after an Ashes series in the UK and you are going to Brisbane and there's the Brisbane Courier Mail who are refusing to name you smug-pommy cheat was their headline.

Firstly, how did you deal with all of that? And then secondly, walking into the press conference at the end of the first day, five wickets, is that right, at the Gabba? It's a bit silly. With the Brisbane Courier Mail tucked under your arm. Yeah, so that was a bit silly. So I prep for it to answer the first question.

In the warm-up games, round the boundary's edge with the psychologist or on my own because if you walk around the gaba there might be 45,000 bit but you can't hear exactly what's going on but you hear noise. If you walk around a warm-up game when there might be only 100 people and you can hear every word and I wanted to build a shield around me to want it to hear the abuse or the swearing just to sort of strengthen me but I worked with a psychologist to because I knew it was coming to strengthen strengthen my resolve and i do think it was successful so to you know bear this isn't me fobbing it off because when my name got announced that i was bowling my first balled the booze were

unbelievable it was like i remember stood at the end of my mark like wow that's incredible but the day before i'd done my pre-match mental routine and i'd stood at the end of my mark where i bowed four overs in my mind and i imagined the booze so i could feel it so it felt like had been there before but it definitely fazes me. I bowled a noble, short one that got here for, first ball. It was quite overwhelming. But then got into my work, ended up getting Fypha. And I didn't mean to pick up the paper.

I was actually, I was just walking to the press conference at the end of the day. And there was the courier mail, like stacked 150 high, so I can't have sold many. And I picked it up, rolled it under my arm and walked in, you know? We'd have a great day. And that was the only good day we had of the series.

Why did you say it was silly, though? It was great theatre. Great theatre, but we ended up losing, didn't we? So we'd won that day. Yeah. But we ended up then, Mitchell Johnson sort of lit a flame and bould the speed of light from then on in, didn't he? Not the same because of that, but, you know, we felt like we're in a good place that day

and then it didn't get any better. Because of what happened on that tour, because of what Johnson did to you and because of, you know, the result of losing 5-0, And then the way that the team evolved, one team broke up and another team was built under Alistair Cook's captaincy. How did you feel going into 2015 as a sort of, I don't know, a responsibility as a senior player and a bit of loyalty to your mate who'd gone through the ringer over the previous couple of years and the opportunity to win the ashes back? Yeah, it was a bit disjointed if I remember rightly. because Peter Moore's had been relieved of his duties in Ireland at the start of the summer.

And then Trevor Bayliss got named head coach. Yeah, Farbrace was in charge at the start. Farbrace was in charge at the start. And the first time we met Trev, we flew over to Desert Springs in Spain as a training camp and he was there in a room, introduced himself. And this is a pre-Ash's camp, you know, so we didn't know him at all.

But I've been working very hard. off the field with Otis Gibson, the bowling coach, a mentor of mine, I've been bowling a lot over the wicket against left-handers, not great success. I need to change it up because the Aussies were coming with loads of left-handers, start working on round the wicket stuff. And I implemented it in that 15 Ashes series and that changed my career, to be honest.

That's when I sort of would say I became more of a complete bowler knowing exactly what I was doing. I went from averaging 37 to left-handers through my career to the next three years. three years averaging like 14 you know that it was that game changing for me so I felt prepped I felt ready I'd targeted three months out exactly what I was looking to do I actually wasn't brave enough to do it in the first Indians at Cardiff and then I went around the wicket sort of a second spell that Cardiff got Rogers caught behind or caught the slips and I was like okay

this is a bit of me so uh I felt prepped and ready to to to get not revenge isn't the right word but Darren Lehman was still in charge there was a bit of not wanting to you know we're not letting the Australians lift the ashes in

England and then Trent Bridge yeah and Jimmy Anderson was injured and you were leading the attack and you were bowling the first over first time in a test match doing that

and did you or did you not tell I's to cook to bat first yeah I did 100% yeah home ground you always as a player, the captain comes to the home players and say, like, what do you think? And there's grass on the wicket, and it was a little bit damp. I said at Trenbridge, actually the stats do back this up.

It's a bat first because it would be soft and slow, but it would dent, and then day two it will quicken up and nip, and it would be more nickable. And then I was marking my run-up out, and Shane Warren walked up to me. And he's going, that's a bowl first, isn't it? And I remember thinking, oh, Shane Warren thinks that's a bowl first. He was bat first everywhere. Might be a bowl first. I went over to cook.

I was like, chef, do you know what? It could be a bowl first, you know, and you went, don't worry. Made that call already. We're going to bowl. And actually, what people don't remember, where I do vividly because I was warming up on the field. There was a bit of a rain shower at two minutes at 11 o'clock. So not enough time to get the covers on. And it just shined the pitch up beautifully.

So it skidded on. So I actually slipped my first couple of balls, put some sawdust down and then got into a rhythm and it just just juiced the pitch up beautifully. Do you remember when that is happening, when that's unfolding, can you take it in? Or is it only afterwards, I don't know, when you maybe watch a replay that you fully understand what has happened? Here is Stuart Broad again into Chris Rogers. He's up to the wiki. Now he bowled. Oh, Roger Cardboard. And he's gone. He's gone. He's caught there in the slips. And Rodgers is waiting, and that was Bell, I think, was a little caught. And that is Broad's 300th test wicket.

What an extraordinary start this is. The crowd, listen to them. Here's Broad coming in and bowling to Voge's. Oh, he's brilliantly called. Oh, brilliantly caught. That is an outrageous catch by Ben Scopes. That was gone. It was past him.

And he flung himself backwards and to his right. You won't see a better catch, I'm sorry. 29 for five, as broads on his way. Bowles to Clark, who's on 10. Here he comes out. Slashes it, is caught. Caught by Cook. Two hands above his head.

A horrible shot. I'm afraid. And he walks off, head bowed. He'll know it. That was wide. He says thrown the bat at that. And that shot might yet come back to haunt Michael Clark, I'm afraid. That's an absolute stinker.

Five wickets already for Stuart Broad and we haven't had 40 minutes play. This podcast is brought to you by Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. With Wise, you can send, spend and receive up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Plus, Wise won't add hidden fees to your transfer. Whether you're buying souvenirs with pesos in Puerto Vallata

or sending euros to a loved one in Paris, you know you're getting a fair exchange rate with no extra money. markups. Be smart. Join the 15 million customers who choose Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit Wise.com. T's and C's Apply. No, you can't take it in. Even to the extent when I got the five, five for six or some cookie took a catch above his head and it came from the big screen, I was like, what? Is that five? I didn't have a clue. I was like, how's that five? Because you're just, right, who's in next? Right, this is the plan. Who's in next? This is the plan. So yeah, I I didn't take it in.

And then it took a bit of time, actually, months to see the scorecard and see 8 for 15 written to make it feel real. And I think what was so special was that Rudy got 100 in the same day. If we'd have been bowled out for 100, it's a completely different conversation, isn't it?

But we bowl straight out for 60 and then Rudy goes and gets 100. Remember so vividly, about 20 to 1 or quarter to 1, having made a cup of tea and watching Lithy Adam and I cover drive so crisply

through the offside off Mitchell start and I sat there, sit my tea and said we've already bowled not had lunch yet and we've bowled them out what's happened there so yeah particularly for me to do it

on a ground that my dad played at I was used to play on the outfield at four years old means so much to me and my family every time I walk through that ground it gives me the shivers you know so to have done it there but the most special day

of that whole test match was the last day, day three. Remember we were on the bus to the ground and Mark Wood said to me, do you think anyone will turn up? Because we needed three wickets or something? I was like, yeah, nutting people love the sport. And we got there and it was packed just for 40 minutes play

and we were on the outfield for hours after and the crowd just stayed and it felt like a festival in a sense and that was one of the favourite moments of my career. Can't talk to you about your Ashes career without mentioning David Warner. Why did you get him out so often? Played against him a lot, if I'm honest.

And I technically worked him out at the back end due to him being so dominant. He was really difficult to bowl at. Over the wicket, 6 foot 6, into back of a length. He'd hang leg side and punish me through the offside. So I did loads of strategy work and stats work on him. And I realised that he didn't hit the ball straight through mid-on and he didn't hit the ball through square leg.

You think about left-handers standing up and hitting it through the leg side, he was just an offside back foot player majority. So I, 2019, made a complete technical shift to try and hit his leg stump. That was my only thing. I don't mind if it goes down the leg side. I said to Joss before the 15 Ashes.

Sure, it was Joss keeping. Might have been Johnny, actually. I think it was Johnny. I said, just understand that I'm going to be bowling leg side. So don't worry about diving down the leg side. You know, make sure you just give yourself bit of space there because I didn't want him to cut. That was my one rule.

And I just started targeting his leg stunt because I knew he wouldn't drill me through the leg side. It was going to be a dot. And by the time I got him three times, the first three innings, I thought I've opened something up here. And just because we play each other so much, you've got 10 opportunities to get him.

If you find a little chink in the army, you don't have time to fix that in a series. So it becomes very difficult for the batter. Do you get an okay? Is it great? Yeah. I think so. Yeah? Ever chatted about it?

No, but he's still playing, isn't he? He's commentating on the ashes this winter, isn't he, for Fox? So I hope that we can share a glass word. I think ultimately a huge feather in his cap and the fact I had to completely change my whole approach for him. Not many players in the opposition teams do you study and directly change somebody? In my opinion, in my career, the best third innings bat try boulder.

if they bat first Australia bat first get runs on the board and you get bowled out behind them he's horrific to come into bat because he just takes the game on and takes it away from you and even Stokesy in 2023 every time we got him

Stokesy would feel a huge relief he'd say like warner's the one that scares me because he can just win the game on his own 21-22 how close was that tall to not happening? Don't know Not sure. That's probably a question for chief executives and top of the board.

I don't think the players ever had the power or the strength to not go. But it wasn't Ashes Cricket. The comic became quite famous of it, it should be void. I never meant that the history of the game should wipe the series away as a result. What I meant is what I view Ash's Cricket is elite performance, best against the best, prepped against the people who have prepped the best, all equal. And it wasn't. You know, we didn't have warm-up facilities or locked away in hotels.

And this was because of the COVID restrictions. Of course, yeah. We knew the game needed it financially. But it wasn't Ashes cricket. It was games of cricket going on. But it wasn't the best against the best. And there was a comment that Pat Cummins made at the end of the series. because all we've done in COVID is play cricket in bubbles.

We just lived in hotel rooms. Still gives me the shivers coming back to here and the utiliter bowl, to be honest, because we just got locked in those rooms and waited to net and play cricket. But he said the worst thing about COVID for us as cricketers is that we just haven't had the chance to play cricket. I remember all of us just looking at each other and that's not the same for us. All we've done is just play cricket. Yeah, it's just play cricket.

So, you know, all the things about the sort of stir that it just didn't feel like Ash's cricket and that's why this series coming up is so eagerly anticipated because both teams have had solid run-ins of proper cricket, fans can travel and, you know, you'll be able to leave a hotel room. Did it feel worse because maybe deep down you knew that was your last tour of Australia? I probably did feel like it was going to be my last. I thought it could be my last test series against Australia, to be honest. You know, Ashes-A-ways are always resets and changes.

And there's a huge amount of changes came. Ashley Giles left, Chris Silverwood left, Rudy stepped down. So big change came. I missed out from the Caribbean after it as well. So, of course, there were times that Hobart test, where I was thinking, you know, I just soak it in. This could be the last test match I play. You also don't want your mindset to go that route.

But I feel very blessed that I got the opportunity again in 2023. Did you think you'd make even after that? So the result happened in 21 and 22. There was the Red Bull reset in the Caribbean like you mentioned and you and James Anderson didn't go on that tour. You came back. Did you think you'd make 2023 even then? I'd say one of the worst phone calls in cricket I had

was Strauss calling me to say I was missing out in the Caribbean because it felt quite final, five minutes. You're not going with the younger team. Okay. And the best phone call I had was plus whatever, 2-7, didn't know the number, answered it. So I was actually walking down to meet Rudy, Forrest versus Shefford, United playoff semi-final.

I was like, hello? Brody, Buzz McCollum. in the test squad next week, see you there, type of thing. And I was like, sort of hoping for it, but didn't know. So, yeah, once I got that phone call, then, of course, my target was actually 23, for sure. Never thought about that your career would end before then, or the reason I asked that is at what point did the idea of ending in 2023 first come into your mind, even if it was just an intrusive fleeting thought.

Yeah, good question. Always knew I wanted deep down and I wanted my last ball in Professional Creek to be in Englandshire. Always knew I wanted to finish at the top. And to do that, you need to make the call. Didn't want to go on too long. I had a bit of a fear of a 21-year-old playing against me

and going, I thought he was supposed to be good. So I'd always wanted to make sure because I could definitely play another couple of years. It definitely felt good. It's bowling well. But it just rounded up. I didn't know. Honestly, I was really torn even the Friday night of the Oval Test match, which didn't know.

And I weighed up sort of definitely in English shirt and wearing it. England, Australia. I've had such a proud history and I love my battles with them. Been an engaging series. It's amazing. Ended up just feeling like the right time. I'd had conversations before it I remember here actually

we'd beat South Africa and Matthew Potts had missed out so it's me Robbo Ollie Robinson and Jimmy and we won I was having a glass of red with Baz on the balcony I just said look my I never want to stand in the way of young bowlers that is a fact I don't want to stand in the way of young bowlers

if you think you've got enough strength and depth to take this team forward without me let me know because I want my last ball to be in Englandshire and he said no I want you for the ashes man as soon as he said that I was like okay that's me building up to that moment then but the series as a whole

was that you know even though you didn't win that series and there'd been times when you'd won the ashes and you'd had other battles and you'd had other performances was that your I don't know favourite it was unbelievable it was unbelievable just firstly never expected to play

all five well we had Ireland before played six that was never the talk it was all any bowlers were going to play two or three wasn't it just so happened

that sort of I stayed fit bowed well but the drama the energy the style the talking points it was magnetic wasn't it

it just drew everyone in the devastating feeling of losing at edgebaston and felt like we had that game the drama of that final day at lords that was very watchable wasn't it it was very engaging although what opinion you have on that and then the sort of energy and fire that leads brought to it and headingly crowd and getting over the line in a very tense finish that's only three gone

it's like we're going to have two to go here so yeah it just had everything the only yes we didn't get to lift the ashes at the end and the rain here was just a sad, dour, disappointing end, you know, to what could have been one of the greatest comebacks cricket's ever seen, really. What happened at Lords with Johnny Birstow being stumped and you being the next man in? Firstly, taught me through that day

because it felt like if there was ever a situation made for a person to walk into that situation and antagonise, get into the battle, all those sorts of things, well, it was made for you, wasn't it? Oh, it was, gosh, how do I reflect on that? I'll go to the end of the day first. I remember getting home, sitting with Molly,

and we were watching like this compilation, I think BBC Sport put together of the nonsense that had sort of done. And I was filled with embarrassment. I was like, oh my goodness me, like what on earth was I doing? What, what happened? You know, I was 36 years old. How did I let myself get to that stage?

Sort of like, you know, putting the bat and the crisset in, that sort of thing. But it was red mist, actually, to start with, and not necessarily from my opinion on the dismissal. It was walking over that line at Lords and feeling the energy of Lords and just sent me, it triggered something. And then a bit of an altercation with Pat Cummins

as I was walking out to bat. and something triggered inside me that anyone in a green hat was just getting it. You know, it was the ultra-competitive side of me rose. And then after about 20 minutes, I started working with Stokesy and quite deliberately trying to, you know, twist the situation in our way, really,

because how I was behaving had maybe taking the Australians off their plan to Stokesy. So we looked to carry that on. And Stokesy played the most remarkable, you know, 150 odd he got, we end up losing the game quite handsomely, really. And it looked closer than it probably was, but Stokesy was our only hope. But it ignited the series incredibly. And everyone had an opinion on that, whether it was right or wrong, you know,

whether you agreed with it, whether you didn't agree with it, everyone had an opinion on it and it brought eyes onto the series and bought it back in our favour slightly because then the English fans were, like, properly with us. How much did it help actually? Because Edgebaston was a game you probably shouldn't have lost. And there were reasons for that. We could talk about the Declaration as much as well.

There was some drop catches in there as well. And at Lords, there was a situation whereby Nathan Lyon has dis hobbled out of the field and England were in a strong position and found ways of getting themselves out. So you were 2-0 down having quite heavily contributed to being 2-0 down. How useful, therefore, was it, one,

for something to have changed a narrative and had people unite behind the team. But secondly, for you guys to, I'm not saying you needed motivation, but there was a, I don't know, a focus maybe or a sense of injustice or... Well, I think it's a really good point that the narrative,

if an instant hadn't have happened that day, the narrative would have been England of throwing this away because we had a... not as ready to win at Lords, but we'd had situations where we'd certainly put ourselves on the back foot. We should have won at Edgebaston.

There's a couple of injuries that didn't help at the back end of that. Jimmy couldn't bowl Moeen couldn't bowl and then we go to Headingley home of Jonathan Mark Beirstow after that incident and it was like

we were walking into a cathedral of Bearstow fans against the Aussies it felt like everyone was with us from that moment and we played some brilliant cricket after but you were 87-5

in the first innings at Headingley and you needed Ben Stokes got going again and the game was turned around. And we had a wobble at the end, yeah. And you were next in? Yeah.

How was that? Petrifying, yeah. Woody was the most nervous man I'd ever met and then he went and got like 20 off 10 balls or something. Yeah, very tense, but that's what Ash's cricket is because it means so much. I remember sat next in in the change room at Headingly going, that's where time is such a weird thing in sport.

In two hours, we're going to know the result of this Ashy series. If we lose this, it's done. It's 3-0. done and like it's weird you almost want time to stop you want to sort of we've got to get over the line here we have to win this game and fortunately we

did because then it sort of keeps the series really really driving forward what about here at old Trafford because you're taking your six hundred with wicket during that test match but what was that feeling like just watching it rain about Sunday yeah one of the worst I've had in sport we've bowed first time

on a flat pitch really because we needed, we knew the weather was coming. The forecast was just horrendous, wasn't it? And we bought an ice super bowl Australia out relatively cheaply. We scored, played with probably one of the best innings I've ever seen, 500 or whatever we got. It was that Crawley Big 100 at a great rate to give ourselves a chance.

And then we had almost, what, two and a half days to get 10 wickets and the rain just nailed us. And I remember the big temporary stand, however many of that holes, there was just one lady with an umbrella. And we're watching, it was at Hoy Lake, wasn't it? And the golfers were just putting more and more waterproofs on. I just thought, we're done it. There's absolutely no prayer.

I think we went out and played a bit of our football game, like pig, and our trainers would flood it, you know, just no hope. Actually took me a bit of time to get over Manchester for a bit. You know, I felt quite... You're okay now? Yeah, I'm okay now, but I felt really sad, really sad at that. And the Oval? Who knew? and a reason I asked that

is because Molly was on test match special at tea time that day and she gave absolutely nothing away was that the Saturday yeah not Molly I mean in the death yeah Molly would have known then

so I'm Friday night I called Molly and she just said like trust your gut I had no gut feeling so I went Stokes was just a couple of doors down so knocked on his door sort of wandered in and just put my hand out and said that's me mate

and he was like what you mean I said this is going to be my last game he's like what I said just feels the right time and the reason I told him I needed to verbalise it to someone was that the first time you'd said it to anyone other than Molly

just said it like the question to her and Neil Fairbrough that I'd spoken to as well and Stokesy just stood up gave me a massive hug and was like thanks mate like thanks for everything you've done and I just said to him as I left the room

just don't tell anybody because I just need to see how I feel in the morning because a guy needed that how I could reverse it I work up in the morning open my curtains at like 7 a.m. Overlooking High Park I just felt right

and first person I called was my dad and my mum and then I called Rob Key and like quarter past seven because he was it was like my line manager if that makes sense how to let my boss know and then I you know I didn't what I didn't want is sort of my knots teammates or Peter Moore's to find out on like social media so I just told the changing room got in that

morning and so and then I told the press that night and when the players knew how did they react because I think I you know I think you said afterwards that you walked out to back that day and Mark Wood said it was, you know, it's a great honour for him. I walked past him, yeah. No, he was in the middle, yeah. Mo had a massive smile on his face and like touch gloves and got out there and Woody was like, great honour. Great honour. And that was one of my favourite moments being out there of Jimmy at the end. Jimmy played a slog sweep or something for four. Crowd were going bizarre, quarter past six. Some was setting over. I just felt so at peace. Like just soaking everything in it. It was amazing. Like quite emotional feeling like

looking back of knowing that this was going to be the last time I would really like know this when no one else knows just my teammates just my family and the crowd going berserk because I guess when you're walking off at the end of the day and you're not out you know in your mind in 10 minutes 15 minutes I'm about to tell the world something yeah and from that moment my life won't be the same yeah from that moment you know I know that I've got a couple of days left to playing cricket and that's it and I I mean, it couldn't have been any better, could it? It was the best, yeah, it was incredible.

The freedom I got from announcing it, you know, there's no way back, you know, it's like, okay, just go and play that sort of saying, try and play like it's your last game. Well, it's, you know, let's just go and have some fun and freedom and be a bit silly, like the bail changing and all that. It was all just me just relaxing and enjoying and having a bit of fun. And I feel like extremely lucky that it ended the way it did, you know, to finish my last ever professional ball. taking that favourite wicket you could ever take, which is the last wicket to win a test match

against Australia, the crowd going berserk. I just felt a complete, completely content. His broad comes in, bowls, carries. And Stuart Broad takes the final wicket in a dream finale. England have won the match. Absolutely brilliant finish. And Stuart Broad is being hugged and congratulated by his teammates.

England have won by 49 runs. Unbelievable. Chris Broad there looking very emotional up on the balcony. Well, he's written a few scripts in his time. But I really can't think Stuart Broad could have had any more of a script than this. changing the bales around and getting a wicket. And then finishing it off. It is a dream finish.

I'll never get bored of talking about it, to be honest, because it's just such, it takes me back to a feeling in a moment that just feels so special. I never wanted to walk off tearing a hamstring in Ahmedabad and never be seen again in my family. We were just at home asleep. You know, I wanted my family in the ground. I wanted to share it with them,

and I'm lucky to have done that. The six? closed my eyes and swung yeah that was just pure fluke I think that was the only ball I middled all summer so it was quite nice that it went for six actually I didn't even realise

I just was running off I had 10 minutes to turn it around and I sat next to Harry Brooke and he was like you know you last have a ball for six I was like oh yeah that's quite cool isn't it and the wicket

I mean it had to be Alex Carey didn't it after what happened at Lords well yeah it was again I didn't really sort of realise that or associate with that it was just the joy of taking the final wicket of a test match but you know he I must admit you know that was a series would have been full of emotion for him as well with with everything that went on so it's been great to see him

go from strength to strength as a as a cricketer and he'll be a thorn in England side this winter as well you said you wanted your last piece of action I guess as a cricketer to be in an England show and it was and you haven't played cricket since we're on the verge of another action series. At any point, have you thought, I still want to be out there? And if you haven't, is now the time when you maybe that feeling has been strongest of you going, I could have another bit of that. I've had no, I've had none of that feeling. I was going to dreams about it. You miss certain things. You know, you miss that feeling of a plan working, you hit off stump

out of the ground or that wicket that wins a test match and you're done and you've celebrated with the teammates and the crowd. But I just feel so, I watch lads now with the England shirt on and just, I'm just like, go on, like going, do your thing, go and shine. I feel like I've moved on from that period. I don't want to lace the boots up. I've gone through all that emotion. And I think being my choice and finishing on that high,

even if I bought another 5,000 balls, I'm never going to get that feeling again. So I just feel so content with how it finished, how it ended. And I still feel close to the game. You know, we've got a great job talking about the game, commentating on the game, being out in the middle, getting a feeling for it. So, no, I feel great joy when I see young bowlers doing well in an England shirt because it's a bit cheesy, it's a bit all-blacky,

but try and leave that shirt in a good place for the next person to take over and finishing at the end of an Asher series while Brendan McCullum and Stokesy's in charge, charge for young bowlers to come in and learn the trade. Good place to go. A couple of final thoughts. 21st to November, Perth, you'll be commentating. How will you feel? I feel very excited. I feel England have got to win that test match, if I'm honest. You've got to start well in an Asher series away.

I feel like I have felt as a player. Every first ball in an Asher series, I watch with a tingle in my stomach, with looking around the crowd, looking at the crowds in motion. and there's just something about the first ball of Ashes series that's quite famous, isn't it? I mean, you think of Harmie's one that's second slit. You think of Rory Burns being bold. You think of Zach Crawley's cover drive.

Zach Crawley's cover drive is one of my favorite Ashes moments. You know, just the feeling and the eruption of what Edgebaston did that day. Perth, however, what's that, 70,000, 60,000, the roar of emotion of when whoever it is, Joffar Archer, Mitchell Stark running into bowl who will just be electric

We've just rattled through your Ash's career in I know 40 minutes or whatever Since you made your test debut No one has played more Ash's tests for England than you And you ended up with more Ashes wickets for England than any other bowler And there'll be countless England fans Who remember you for your exploits

As an Ashes cricketer and your achievements How do you reflect on it as how do and how will you always think of the ashes it's the pinnacle it's the great it's the greatest rivalry in our in our sport it's everything you wish for as a player it brings it tests everything about you it brings out emotion character mental strength technical ability physical uh hardship teammates bonding going through something together. There's just something about Ash cricket that is a bit different and it gives me a great pride that if there's any of just one fan out there that would link me to Ash's Cricket

because it's what I grew up in. It's what I wanted to play. I wanted to win and I look back and have a huge amount of pride of being able to share that journey with a lot of great friends as well. That was from the Ashes. Make sure you're subscribed. to the TMS podcast, so you get a notification every time we upload. We'll be bringing you daily podcasts from Australia during the ashes this winter. That's it for now. We'll speak to you next time. Towards backwards, straight leg, and catch is slaker.

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