As Stuart Broad, possibly one of the greatest bowlers England has produced, will play his final day of Test cricket in the ongoing fifth Ashes 2023 match against Australia at the Oval, his father, Chris Broad revealed the exact moment when he realized his son was a talented pacer.

Chris Broad has revealed that he never thought that his son Stuart Broad would ever make it to the first-class level, forget playing international cricket.

“Thank you to Leicestershire for seeing the ability of him as a bowler because I didn’t see that, and I was looking at his batting and I thought, well, I don’t think he’s going to make it in first-class cricket as a batsman. But they saw him as a bowler, gave him the opportunity,” Broad told BBC TMS.

Stuart changed his father’s perspective by picking more than 800 wickets in international cricket including over 600 in Tests. Chris Broad, a former England opener himself, revealed the moment his perspective towards his son changed.

“I went to watch a T20 game between Leicestershire and Notts at Grace Road and Stephen Fleming was the opening batter and captain for Notts at the same time. Stuart bowled two or three overs at Stephen Fleming and he couldn’t get the ball off the square in a T20 game. And I thought then blimey, this chap can bowl,” Broad added.  

Broad has taken 602 wickets in 167 tests and is only the second pacer in Test history behind countryman James Anderson to go over the 600-wicket mark in the format.