Australia need new Ashes villain as Broad draws curtain

Australia will need to find a new England villain when the next Ashes series rolls around in the home summer of 2025-26 after the old enemy's most successful bowler in the game's longest-running rivalry abruptly announced his retirement on Saturday evening.

Stuart Broad, who during the current fifth Test at The Oval became the first England bowler to reach 150 wickets in Ashes contests, surprised everyone after stumps on day three by revealing he'll walk away from all forms of cricket at game's end.

The 37-year-old claims he had been contemplating his long-foreshadowed move to the television commentary box for a few weeks, but only advised England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum around 8.30pm on the night of day two.

He sent Stokes a text message and went to visit his skipper at the team's London hotel and confirmed that, after 167 Tests as well as 177 limited-overs internationals in which he's captured a total of 845 wickets for England since his debut in 2006, his time had come.

"I walked in, shook his (Stokes's) hand and said, 'that's me, thanks for everything you've done for me'," Broad said after play at The Oval.

He then admits he struggled to break the news to his teammates upon arriving at the ground yesterday morning, especially his former skipper Joe Root with whom he shared a handshake but found he "couldn't say a word" beyond that.

It will also mean Australia fans will be deprived one final chance to witness and welcome Broad in a country where he became such a figure of infamy that one tabloid newspaper went so far as to refuse to mention his name in cricket stories at the start of the 2013-14 Ashes campaign.

That was in response to one of Broad's more controversial moments of an often colourful career, when he refused to walk during a Test at Trent Bridge during the preceding 2013 Ashes series despite blatantly edging a catch off spinner Ashton Agar that was taken by Michael Clarke at slip.

The paper tried to double-down on their insult by only referring to Broad in print as "a 27-year-old medium-pace bowler" thinking the slight about his bowling speed would increase the burn.

But the media-savvy Broad duly turned up to a post-play press conference following day one of that ultimately one-sided series, having snared 6-81 in Australia's first innings at the Gabba, with a copy of the publication in question tucked under his arm.

"There's something in my family history with Ashes cricket, I grew up at such a young age just being besotted by it," said Broad whose father, Chris, played 25 Tests for England and is also well-known in Australia for his prolific 1986-87 tour and for smashing his stumps after being bowled at the SCG the following summer.

"My influential years as a as a kid playing cricket, we weren't winning many Ashes Tests and I think that grew my hunger and desire to want to be part of a team that could win against Australia.

"I certainly think as a player I've had a good record in England against Australia.

"They're such a beast of a team at home and been very difficult to get near apart from 2010-11.

"Ultimately, I think the competitiveness of what Australia bring to cricket brings out the best in me.

"I love that eye-to-eye battle, I love the energy the crowd brings, and the battle and the rivalry the crowd brings to it.

"I know my emotions and my competitive spirit have to be sky-high for me to be a good bowler, and I can promise you every single time I've run in with the ball in my hand against Australia they've been there."

While the comically-crass newspaper stunt is perhaps what many Australia fans best remember him for, the slightly ungainly but relentlessly accurate right-arm seamer first came to prominence in Ashes cricket in his fifth appearance against England's historic cricket enemy at The Oval in 2009.

That was where Australia first got a taste of the sort of wicket-taking sprees Broad would become renowned for when he tore through his rivals' top-order to grab 5-37 and ensure England regained the urn.

Broad's trademark during those devastating spells – such as the one that destroyed Australia on the first morning at Trent Bridge, where his 8-15 saw the visitors destroyed for 60 before lunch – was his distinctive run-up with knees pumping and arms flailing.

As recently as last week's fourth Test at Old Trafford, England keeper Jonny Bairstow was exhorting the veteran seamer to "get those knees pumping, Stu" as he grabbed the mantle of series leading wicket-taker that has since been wrested back by Australia's Mitchell Starc.

"It does make me feel proud to have 150 Test wickets against the Aussies, to be in that category with Warnie (Shane Warne 195) and Glenn (McGrath, 157) above, and I've loved every minute against Australia," Broad said.

"Apart from Mitchell Johnson bowling at Brisbane (in 2013) … that was horrific.

"I've had a love affair with the Ashes my whole life, and the thought of being able to bowl my last ball and face my last ball versus Australia is something that fills me with joy.

"That's come to fruition.

"I set myself the goal in April that I'd try and be fit and available for the captain for five Ashes Test matches, and to play all of them is a really special feeling.

"It's been the most enjoyable series, the most entertaining series, the most edge-of-the-seat series I can remember.

"Obviously we're not going to win this series but we can still finish with a brilliant result here.

"And ultimately if we do get this series to 2-2 we can hold our heads up very high of how we've gone about it."

In addition to being England's second-highest wicket-taker with 602 heading into the final bowling innings of his career from today, he has also formed the most potent new-ball partnership the game has know with current teammate James Anderson, whose Test tally stands at 690.

Broad's news seems likely to ensure England continue batting on the fourth morning at The Oval later today, with a capacity Sunday crowd sure to stand as one as the bowling greats walk out to resume their unbeaten ninth-wicket stand and build further on the current lead of 377.

"Jimmy will carry on definitely," Broad said when asked if his decision was likely to be mirrored by Anderson who will also be celebrating his 41st birthday today.

"He's feeling really good and fresh and there's a bit of a break after this series with an India tour (from next January) where he's got a fantastic record.

"Ultimately, I think it never felt quite right for the two of us to go together.

"I think we needed some sort of crossover and, not that that really came into my decision making, but I was delighted to hear that Jimmy was going to keep going and carry on.

"I think it's nice that there'll be sort of one half of that partnership still within the changing room until it, it sort of gets passed over whenever Jimmy decides that (his) time's up."

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Australia won by two wickets

Second Test: Australia won by 43 runs

Third Test: England won by three wickets

Fourth Test: Match drawn

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood