Ashes 2023: Highlights and Stuart Broad's Memorable Farewell
The most electrifying cricket series of the season has just ended - Ashes 2023. And with it, England bid farewell to the retiring Stuart Broad and took pride in victory on the last day of his international career.
These six weeks were irresistible for cricket fans. It is because the England cricket team was not at the races in the 2021 and 2022 Ashes series, but it won't be wrong to say that England made all five matches truly tantalising this year.
Thai article will provide a complete summary of the 2023 Ashes recap and how Stuart Broad ended his international career with a classic victory.
Let's get straight into it!
Ashes History Over the Years
There are 72 Ashes series played, among which Australia won 34 and England took away 32. England last won the Ashes series in 2015, and Australia claimed the last win in 2021 and 2022 by 4-0. Continue reading to know the Ashes series review and the main highlights.
England Experimented to Win the Ashes 2023
Having lost 4-0 18 months ago and losing any chance of a World Test Championship Final, England experimented with the second half of their cycle. Joe Root took a back step, Ben Stokes took a forward place, and new red ball coach Brendon McCullum rung the changes.
The results were awe-inspiring that their defeat in a few months became a distant memory. This side has won 11 out of 13 matches since McCullum's appointment, a record that stacks up against their rivals - Australia.
Ashes 2023 - a Brief Summary
It was England's 37th Ashes series and 73rd overall. The series dates were adjusted to avoid the clash with The Hundred tournament.
First Test Match
Despite England winning the toss and electing to bat first, Australia won the first test match. The rain interrupted the match, but Usman Khawaja became the second Australian player to bat on all 5 days of the test match.
Another major highlight of the match was Cameron Green reaching the milestone of 1000 runs in the test; however, Stuart Broad and Pat Cummins made a difference in making the match enjoyable by taking 3 and 4 wickets, respectively.
Second Test Match
The second match of Ashes started on 28 June and continued till 2 July. Again, Australia took the victory by 43 runs, with Nathan Lyon playing his 100th consecutive test match; however, he injured his calf and ended his streak in 2013.
In the second innings, Ben Stokes from England made it through the cricket news by hitting 9 sixes; the most sixes hit in one inning by any batsman. This was the first time in history that Australia won the first two matches in the Ashes.
Third Test Match
The third Ashes match started, and the tables turned towards England with a victory by 3 wickets. England elected to field first this time, which worked well for them.
Moeen Ali took his 200th test wicket, and Ben Stokes scored 10,000 runs in first-class cricket. Also, Harry Brook scored 1000 runs in Tests and became the first to achieve this milestone.
Fourth Test Match
The Next Ashes match analysis began on 19 July and continued till 23 July 2023, but unfortunately, the match ended with no result. The match was highly disturbed due to rain, but Broad still scored his 600th test wicket - the 5th bowler to achieve this pride.
On the other hand, Moeen Ali reached 3,000 test runs, Zak Crawley reached 2,000, and Mark Wood scored his 100th test wicket. With this match drawn, Australia managed to keep the lead.
Fifth Test Match
With the beginning of the fifth match on 27 July - curiosity arises all over the cricket fans, whether England will be able to draw the Ashes series 2023 or Australia will continue its winning streak.
It's Australia's turn to field first after winning the toss. The gameplay was highly interrupted by the rain, specifically on day 4 and day 5. In the final session, when everyone expected the match to be drawn, England bowlers started to take wickets, collapsing the Australian batting line-up.
In an incredible cricket moment that turned out to be the last of his extraordinary career, Stuart Broad bowled the final ball, one of the best moments of Ashes 2023.
And guess what? He nailed it by getting Carey out. This fantastic play was one of the cricket highlights! Because of this, England won the game by a solid 49 runs. This win was super important because it helped England tie up the Ashes 2023 series, which is pretty cool!
Stuart Broad Retirement with an Amazing Victory!
Stuart Broad's career ended after the conclusion of the Ashes 2023. Veteran fast bowler brings down the curtains of his international career with one of the most nail-biting match endings. He is the second and fourth fast bowler to send 600 batters back to the pavilion. His cricket farewell speech made everyone emotional.
Broad played 121 One-day Internationals, 167 Test matches, and 56 T20 Internationals and took 845 wickets in all formats. He debuted in the T20I match against Pakistan on 28 August 2006 and took 5 wickets in it.
While he got famous for smashing Yuvraj Singh’s 6 sixes in an over against India, he began his memorable Test career on 9 December 2007.
Broad’s memorable farewell to Test cricket made many eyes teary. Many people admired his style of cricket and bowling and smashing the famous batters.
Wrapping Up!
Stuart Broad's journey in cricket has become inseparable from the iconic Ashes series. His unbeatable determination and relentless spirit earned him the label of being a "Public Enemy No.1," according to the Australian media. Broad’s retirement is the cricket legend's retirement as he was the one with the not giving up attitude against the rivals.
Though Ashes 2023 have ended, people will remember this battle until they are treated with the next one. And till then, they will enjoy another exciting cricket series lined up.
