Legendary England pacer Stuart Broad said that Yuvraj Singh hitting him for six sixes in an over in the 2007 T20 World Cup, steeled him up and helped him in becoming the cricketer he is today. His words came after he announced his retirement from the game.
Broad, the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests from England, announced that the ongoing fifth Ashes 2023 Test against Australia at the Oval will be his last one and he will end with more than 600 wickets in 167 Tests.
Broad also played 121 ODIs, picking 178 wickets, and in 56 T20Is, he took 65 wickets. Broad also captained England in T20Is and was part of the 2010 T20 World Cup-winning England side.
Stuart Broad reflected on Yuvraj Singh's six sixes in the 2007 T20 World Cup, which was a tough learning experience early in his career and helped shape him into a competitor that took him a long way.
He emphasized the importance of bouncing back from bad days and putting poor performances behind to allow the good ones to shine in cricket.
It was the first time in international T20I cricket, that 6 consecutive sixes were hit in an over, with Yuvraj Singh blasting Broad over the boundary in Durban.
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"Yeah, it was obviously a pretty tough day. What would I have been: 21, 22? [22] I learned loads. I pretty much based a whole mental routine through that experience knowing that I was left very short as an international performer in that moment. I'd rushed my preparation. I didn't have any sort of pre-ball routine. I didn't have any focus, particularly, and I started building my 'warrior mode' that I call it after that experience," Broad said in the press conference.
"Ultimately, of course, I wish that didn't happen. I think what helped me was it was a dead rubber, so it didn't feel like I'd knocked us out of the World Cup or something. But I think it steeled me up to make me the competitor I am to this day and has driven me forward a huge amount," Broad added.
Broad said that every player goes through ups and downs throughout their career, citing Ben Stokes as a prime example.
Throughout his lengthy 17-year cricket career, Broad stressed the need to deal with bad days since they frequently outnumber the good ones. To ensure that one's potential may blossom on the field, one must possess this capacity for dealing with setbacks.
"You obviously go through massive peaks and troughs and when you look at someone like Stokesy's career, he's done that sort of thing as well. Most players have. But ultimately I think it's that bounce-back ability and that ability to be able to put poor days behind you because certainly one thing over the past whatever - 15, 16 years - you have a lot more bad days than good days in cricket so you have to be able to deal with them to make sure your good days can flourish," Broad concluded.
