Stuart Broad gave an insight into just how much Sir Alastair Cook’s final Test double-hundred, in his penultimate Ashes appearance, meant to England’s leading Test run-scorer.
Cook came into the game, the fourth of the 2017/18 Ashes, with just one century in his last 28 Test innings, and none in his previous 35 against Australia. England had already conceded the urn, having lost each of the first three Tests, and the pressure was mounting on the left-hander’s place in the side.
The former England captain responded with a mammoth unbeaten 244, carrying his bat to register the highest Test score by a visiting batsman at the MCG, one of cricket’s most iconic venues. The emotion of the occasion was such that, according to Broad, Cook “burst into tears” upon returning to the dressing room.
Broad made the revelation when asked by long-time new-ball partner James Anderson to name his favourite moments in an England shirt on an Instagram Live on the England Cricket Instagram page. The right-arm seamer said that it was performances in Test cricket that brought him most pleasure.
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“I’ve always, throughout my whole career, found so much more satisfaction with red-ball victories,” he said. “I don’t know whether that’s because of the time it takes, you have to work so hard for them. You need eight or nine of your players in the XI to have good games in a Test match, I think white-ball cricket, three or four can win you the game, so I’ve always found a great satisfaction in sitting in the changing room after winning a Test match.”
According to Broad, who hit 56 to help Cook to the milestone, there is an added pleasure in seeing a teammate overcome a tough situation to achieve something special.
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“There’s been some brilliant moments,” he added. “Cooky’s 200 not out at the MCG… Being out there for the 200 and the Barmy Army singing Cooky’s song. I’m sure he won’t mind me saying this now he’s retired, but he just burst into tears after walking off the pitch. Those little moments when you see teammates achieve brilliant things [are special], because we see all the stuff that goes with cricket, all the missing of the families that can add a little bit of extra pressure.”
