Stuart Broad considered retiring last summer but Baz and Stokesy managed to talk him out of it: James Anderson

Stuart Broad and James Anderson. (Photo Source: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

After the conclusion of Day 3 of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval, veteran England pacer Stuart Broad announced his decision to retire from all forms of the game. He was extremely influential for the Test team for close to two decades, playing 167 matches in the longest format of the game and picking 604 wickets in the process. Along with James Anderson, Broad dominated in the red-ball format, and thus, his retirement is a massive blow for the Ben Stokes-led side.

Meanwhile, talking his Broad’s retirement, Anderson revealed that the cricketer was on the verge of retiring in the summer of 2022 itself, but skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum convinced him to continue for some more time. He also revealed that the decision was not very surprising to him and that the 37-year-old informed him over a cup of coffee.

“Stuart told me about his retirement over a coffee before we got on the team bus for the third day’s play. I was a bit shocked initially but when it sank in, it was not a surprise. He considered it last summer but Baz and Stokesy managed to talk him out of it.

“‌Then if you look back on the Ashes series, as he said himself it was the perfect way to go out. It was nice we did not go out at the same time together as well. We have always been put in a bracket as a partnership but he is in his own right one of the best bowlers England have ever produced so he deserved his own send-off,” Anderson wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

Stuart leaves a big hole for me: Anderson

Anderson also added, saying the relationship he shared with Stuart Broad. He mentioned the kind of competition they used to have among themselves in the initial days and how both worked as a coach to each other in order to get better.

“‌On a professional level, Stuart leaves a big hole for me. We didn’t realise it at the time but when we were young, we were in direct competition so raised our standards to compete. When we started playing together we complemented each other and understood the other’s game, how we were trying to take wickets and what we could do to help that. As the years have gone on, we have bought into our respective games. I have been his coach and he has been my coach,” Anderson wrote.