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Stuart Broad ended his Test career yesterday (July 31) with a wicket on the last ball. The right-arm pacer scalped Alex Carey's wicket in the final innings of Ashes 2023 to help England draw the five-match series 2-2.
Broad had announced on the third day of the Test that he would hang up his boots after the match ends. He hit a six on the last ball that he faced as a batter. In his final innings as a bowler, Broad remained wicketless until the 91st over of the innings.
He finally opened his account by dismissing Todd Murphy caught behind on the final ball of the 91st over. Next, in the 95th over, Stuart Broad got the outside edge of Alex Carey's bat. Jonny Bairstow made no mistake in completing the catch as Australia were bowled out for 334 runs in a chase of 384 to lose the final Test by 49 runs.
Reflecting on the final spell of his Test career, Stuart Broad said after the game:
"Finishing my last ball ever with a wicket to win an Ashes Test match is pretty much a dream way to go. So when I got the ball, they were 7 down I think and it was swinging nicely with left-handers batting. It was almost perfect for my style of bowling."
It is pertinent to note that Broad is not the first player to end his Test career with a wicket off the last ball. Here's a list of three other players who achieved the feat.
#1 Glenn McGrath dismissed James Anderson on the last ball of his Test career
Glenn McGrath also ended his Test career with a wicket on the last ball in an Ashes Test match. It was in the 2006/07 Ashes series hosted by Australia, where Sydney hosted McGrath's last Test match.
Australia won that Test by 10 wickets. McGrath scalped a total of six wickets in the match - three each in the two innings. On the final ball of his career, McGrath dismissed James Anderson caught out. Anderson handed a catch to Michael Hussey in the midwicket region as Pigeon signed off in style at his home venue.
#2 Muttiah Muralitharan
Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan played his career's last Test match against India at the Galle International Stadium in 2010. The off-spinner bagged three wickets in his final innings and completed 800 wickets in the longest format of the game.
His last ball was against Pragyan Ojha. Muralitharan tossed a delivery to the tail-ender, who edged it to Mahela Jayawardene at first slip. Sri Lanka beat India by 10 wickets in that Test.
#3 Richard Hadlee
Former New Zealand fast bowler Richard Hadlee played the last game of his Test career against England in July 1990. Birmingham played host to that Test match.
Hadlee was the Player of the Series in that series, having scored 107 runs and picked up 16 wickets. His final wicket came on the last ball of his career as he bowled to Devon Malcolm. Hadlee trapped him LBW for a duck. New Zealand lost that Test by 114 runs.
