Many bowlers face turmoil during their careers, but it is their ability to bounce from these setbacks that make them stars of the game. One such player is the veteran English pacer Stuart Broad, who celebrates his 36th birthday, today, on June 24.
In the early days of his budding career, Broad was a regular feature in England's limited-overs squad. He was a part of England's T20I squad for the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup and suffered the ignominy of being hit for six consecutive sixes by Yuvraj Singh. But the blues of this disappointment did not mar his career as Broad went on to establish himself among the best Test bowlers in the world.
This was cemented back in 2015 when the then 28-year-old took eight wickets for 15 runs in the Ashes series against Australia.
This brilliant performance was completed in just 9.3 overs. His immense contribution helped reduce the Australian team to 60 runs. England beat their staunch rivals by an innings and 78 runs. His performance of eight wickets for 15 runs is the best performance by an English bowler against Australia since Jim Laker's performance in 1956.
During this spell, Broad also became the fifth England bowler to take 300 Test wickets.
Success alongside James Anderson
After his early career struggles, Broad is now among the country's biggest players in Test cricket. Alongside the mighty James Anderson, he formed the most formidable fast bowling pair in modern Test cricket history. He has taken 548 wickets in 154 Tests so far. He will look to at least complete 600 wickets in Tests like his pace compatriot Anderson.
Broad is currently sixth in terms of taking wickets in Test cricket. He is also third among the fast bowlers who have the most Test wickets. He is only 16 wickets behind Australia's Glenn McGrath who is in second place. He has also taken one Test hat-trick in his career, at the Trent Bridge against India in 2011.
Alongside his bowling, Broad has also made a mark in many matches with batting. He scored his first Test century at the Lord's against Pakistan in 2010. He also has 13 Test fifties to his name.
