Australian players paid tribute to England's retiring pacer Stuart Broad on Day 4 at The Oval in the ongoing 5th Ashes Test as he walked out to bat for the final time in his Test career.
Broad came out to bat in a bid to add to England's overnight score of 389. Broad had to immediately face the fiery pace of Mitchell Starc but the 37-year-old pacer took the challenge head-on and smashed the last ball of Starc's over for a towering six square leg and watched it sail into the stands. It seemed that the left-handed batter could read Starc's mind as he backed away and thumped the ball into the crowd.
Stuart Broad's Guard of Honour moment:
However, to England's misery, Broad's batting partner James Anderson couldn't get his eye in and was removed soon after Aussie off spinner Todd Murphy trapped him plumb in front at an individual score of eight runs. Anderson tried to use the reverse sweep to put the ball away but ended up missing it completely and got hit on the shin after the delivery straightened after pitching.
Watch Stuart Broad's last ball in Test cricket:
England have put a target of 384 runs for Australia to win the Test match and be the first Australian touring party since the Steve Waugh-led Australia to win an Ashes series on English soil.
Earlier, after the end of day 3 of The Oval Test, Broad shocked the entire cricketing fraternity as he announced his decision to draw curtains on his Test career, having already retired from ODIs and T20Is in 2022.
Broad is England's second-leading wicket-taker in the longest format of the sport with over 600 wickets and is behind another great of England cricket - James Anderson.
The Nottingham-born has already bagged 20 scalps in the ongoing series - the most by an English bowler and is three wickets behind Australia's Mitchell Starc, who is leading the tally with 23 scalps.
