One hundred per cent thought of retirement after Southampton snub, reveals Stuart Broad

Since making his debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka, Broad has been one of the long-standing members of the current English setup alongside James Anderson. While Anderson entered the 500-wicket club in 2017 against West Indies, Broad got there in the recently concluded series against the same opposition. However, the start to his series was not as flowery with the 34-year-old pacer from Nottingham being dropped from the English setup. 

Whilst he had already revealed his frustration that followed his snub, Broad revealed that he had 100% per cent thoughts of retirement following that decision. At the Rose Bowl, West Indies walked away with a four-wicket victory before the Nottingham pacer made an impressive return in the second Test as he reached the milestone in the third. 

“Were there thoughts of retirement going round my head? One hundred per cent. Because I was so down,” Broad told the Mail on Sunday.

“I can’t think of many times I have been down like that. When I have been dropped before, I can go ‘Fair enough, good decision, can’t really argue with that’. This time, when Stokesy told me I wasn’t playing, I felt my body go into shakes. I could barely speak,” he added. 

However, following his display against West Indies in the last two Tests, Broad is confident that he can emulate his fellow pacer, Anderson’s record of 600 Test wickets for the English team in the longest format. 

“Could I get 600? Absolutely I think I could. Jimmy was 35 and one month when he got 500. I was 34 and one month. Jimmy is now within touching distance of 600. So stats wise, absolutely,” he concluded.