Happy Birthday, Stuart Broad: Top bowling performance of England pacer in Tests

England fast bowler Stuart Broad will celebrate his 36th birthday on 24 June. The English seamer is in an elite league of bowlers who have taken more than 500 wickets in Tests. Broad has been leading England’s pace attack along with James Anderson for many years. The fast bowler made his Test debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka. Since then he has taken 546 Test wickets including 19 five-wicket hauls.

Broad’s 15-year long career will be remembered not only for the vast amount of wickets he has taken, but also for his class and sportsmanship. He is known for his explosive stunts, in which he rips through the batting lineup and sets the match in the blink of an eye.

Let’s take a look at his top bowling performances in Tests:

1. 6/50 vs Australia, Nottingham
   Stuart Broad destroyed the Australian batting line-up in the fourth Test of the Ashes in 2013. England batted first and scored 238 runs, while Australia managed to score 270 runs. In the fourth innings, Australia had to chase down a tight target of 299.
   And that’s when Broad decided to weave magic with a red ball in his hand. He took 6 wickets giving only 50 runs. More importantly, he took the crucial wickets of Steve Smith and Michael Clarke and helped England beat the Kangaroos by 74 runs.
2. 6/25 vs India, Manchester
   Broad’s brilliant six in the fourth Test in 2014 changed the course of the game. After winning the toss and batting first, India Broad took 6 wickets and conceded only 25 runs in the innings. England responded with 367 runs on the board.
   India performed poorly in the second innings as well, being bowled out for 161 runs. England’s dominant team played an innings and 54 runs from MS Dhoni’s side thanks to an impressive bowling performance from Broad and Co.
3. 6/17 vs South Africa, Johannesburg
   The English pacer ruled South Africa’s batsmen in the third Test between England and Proteas in 2016. South Africa scored 313 in their first innings, while England responded with 323 runs on the board.
   In the second innings, it was all broad. He displayed some high quality fast bowling and blew away the South African batsmen, taking 6 wickets and conceding only 17 runs. The Proteas were all out for 83 and England chased down the target with 7 wickets to spare. Broad was adjudged man of the match.
4. 7/44 vs New Zealand, Lord’s
   In 2013, Stuart Broad led England to a stunning 170-run victory against New Zealand at Lord’s, the Mecca of cricket. There was little between England and New Zealand at the end of the first innings. England scored 232 runs in their first innings, while New Zealand scored 207 runs. After England were bowled out for 213 in the second innings, the Kiwis needed 239 runs to win. New Zealand batsman Aware was greeted with a brilliant spell of fast bowling.
   Stuart Broad surprised the New Zealand batsmen with a brilliant 7 wickets. Actually, none of New Zealand’s batsmen could go beyond 20 runs and the team could score only 68 runs. Broad’s brilliance helped England win the match by 170 runs.
5. 8/15 vs Australia, Nottingham
   Stuart Broad’s remarkable Test career-best spell came against arch-rivals Australia during the Fourth Ashes Test at Nottingham in 2015. Broad rioted at the Australian batsmen as they were dismissed for 60 in their first innings. The veteran pacer dismissed eight Australian batsmen for 15 runs in his devastating nine-over spell in the first innings.
   Broad was absolutely unstoppable on the green pitch of Nottingham as elite batsmen like Steven Smith, Michael Clarke and Shaun Marsh were killed in front of the England crowd. England scored 391 runs in their first innings, in which Joe Root played a brilliant innings of 130 runs. Australia were bowled out for 253 in their second innings, losing by an innings and 78 runs against England.

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