Follow UsEngland fast bowler Stuart Broad ended a glittering international career with a wicket off the final delivery to help England end the Ashes series 2-2. He also smashed a six off the final delivery he ever faced, making it a real fairytale ending for the 37-year-old.
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain believes Broad has timed his retirement perfectly.
"Well, that's the point. I think retirement is, you’d want people to ask, ‘Why not a little bit more?’ You retire when people are saying, ‘Why are you retiring? rather than ‘Why not?’ Hussain said in the latest episode of ICC Review.
"When people start saying that you should be retiring, then you've probably gone a bit too far. So I think he's timed it perfectly. Two days to go came down to us at Sky [Sports] and said, ‘Yep, I'm done’. And then he had two days.
"But the one thing with Stuart, you know, because he announced his retirement, it's not like I'm done, I'm checking out. You know Stuart Broad is going to want to win. He's always been a winner."
Hussain was on air during the final moments of Broad's career. Describing the scenes, he said, “He loves the theatre and the entertainment. But more than that, he loves winning. And the script was unbelievable. You know, left-handers on strike. He's been all over left-handers.
"Last ball he faces in Test cricket, he hits out of the ground for a six. Last ball he bowls in Test cricket, he gets Carey out. Last Ashes... he’s born for Ashes cricket. And he wins his last Ashes Test. It was unbelievable scenes at The Oval."
Broad, who made his Test debut in 2007, finishes with 604 wickets in the format, the second-highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers. Along with James Anderson, he had formed the most successful bowling partnerships in Test history, picking up over 1,000 wickets in matches they've taken the field together.
He has also played 121 ODIs and 56 T20Is to go with his 167 Test caps for England.