It seems that Stuart Broad has decided to retire from cricket after the ongoing Ashes Test at The Oval in London. He has had a long and successful career, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in his final game. The Australian openers have put up a good partnership, but Broad will be looking to make his mark in his last innings. Broad made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2007, and it’s been a great journey for him since then.
Also read: Cricketers who achieved the feat of 3000 runs and 400 wickets in Test Cricket
Openers – Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan (c)
In that Test match, Michael Vaughan was the captain of the England team and opened the batting with Alastair Cook. Both players scored fifties and put up a 133-run partnership on the opening day. They followed it up with a 107-run partnership in the second innings, which helped England save the game. Vaughan and Cook have both retired from international cricket, but Cook still plays for Essex in the County Championship. They are also popular commentators and experts in the game.
Middle Order – Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen, and Matt Prior (wk)
In that Test match, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, and Paul Collingwood led England’s middle order, with Ravi Bopara and Matt Prior rounding off the team. Bell and Pietersen struggled in the first innings but made up for it in the second innings with 54 and an unbeaten 45 runs, respectively. Pietersen also bowled 15 overs for 58 runs. Collingwood scored 52 and an unbeaten 23 and bowled one over. Bopara was out for a duck, while Prior scored a crucial 79 runs while batting with the tail.
Bell retired from cricket in 2020 and is now a batting consultant for Derbyshire. Pietersen is now a cricket commentator and was part of the IPL. Collingwood is currently an assistant coach for the England men’s team. Bopara continues to play cricket in various leagues, while Prior is involved in a sports apparel business and played in the Legends League Cricket tournament in 2022.
Bowlers – Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar
In that Test match, Stuart Broad made his debut for England and was one of four frontline bowlers, which included Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison, both seamers and Monty Panesar, the lone spinner. The quartet shared the wickets, with Sidebottom taking the most with 3/100. Harmison also took three wickets, while Panesar only took two. Broad bowled 36 overs and claimed his first Test wicket, dismissing Chaminda Vaas.
Sidebottom and Panesar played in Legends League Cricket last year, while Panesar also played in the Legends Cricket Trophy earlier this year. All three have been involved in broadcasting, and both Sidebottom and Harmison were briefly part of Yorkshire’s coaching staff. Harmison is an active commentator and expert who has been vocal about his opinions on the sport. Broad will retire from all cricket at the end of Ashes 2023, but he may continue to work in broadcasting.
Sri Lanka’s playing XI from 2nd Test in Colombo, 2007
In 2007, Sri Lanka won the first Test against England in Kandy and drew the next two games to take the three-match series 1-0. This was the team that played for Sri Lanka in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club: Michael Vandort, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene as captain, and Chamara Silva. Jehan Mubarak, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, and Muttiah Muralitharan.
