"I knew it would be my last over in professional cricket" - Stuart Broad recalls surreal moments at Oval in Ashes 2023

Retired England seamer Stuart Broad looked back on what turned out to be his final over in professional cricket. The former Nottinghamshire seamer revealed how Ben Stokes was to remove him from the attack and bring on Mark Wood's extra pace to close the game out.

With Australia needing 50 more to win on Day 5 of the final Ashes 2023 Test but with only 1 wicket left, Broad was unsuccessful in his 20th over. However, Stokes brought the right-arm bowler again and he struck in his 21st over as Alex Carey nicked one behind the stumps to Jonny Bairstow. Carey turned out to be Broad's 604th Test victim.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Broad, who recently earned the CBE in the New Year's Honours List, recalled how Murphy narrowly survived earlier in the over. The 37-year-old remembered telling himself to get his energy up, with his legs weakening. He said:

"Stokesy said it was my last over and he was going to bring Mark Wood's extra pace on to try and get the game done. I knew it would be my last over in professional cricket. I think I got two play and misses from the first five balls. I hadn't thought about changing the bails but I felt a bit unlucky, saw the stumps and thought, 'I'm going to change them again'".

He added:

"I did it, heard a bit of a cheer and started my walk back to my run-up. I had the realisation that this was my last-ever ball. I have to admit that my emotions got the better of me, my legs went like jelly. I started shaking them, thinking, 'gosh, I have to get some feeling back'".

Following Day 3 at The Oval, the former England T20 captain had announced he will retire after the match. Chasing 384, the visitors made an outstanding start, but lost their way after Steve Smith's departure, falling 49 runs short.

"I loved every moment of walking off the field at The Oval" - Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad. (Image Credits: Twitter)

The veteran further highlighted that losing to Australia in the final match of his career would have left him devastated, but it turned out to be perfect. He said:

"I loved every moment of walking off the field at The Oval, beating Australia in an Ashes Test. Winning the Test was the biggest thing for me - the emotion of the crowd and winning the game. It would have been devastating for me to walk off for the final time having lost a Test to the Aussies. Walking off with the boxes behind us, seeing my mum, my dad, [partner] Mollie, [daughter] Annabella and friends, it just felt perfect."

Broad retired as the second-highest wicket-taker for England in Tests.