View source for Chris Broad (cricketer)

{{Short description|English cricketer}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox cricketer
|                name = Chris Broad
|               image = File:Chris Broad.jpg
|             country = England
|            fullname = Brian Christopher Broad
|            nickname = Walter, Broodie, B-Road
|          birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|9|29|df=yes}}
|         birth_place = [[Knowle, Bristol]], England
|            heightft = 6
|          heightinch = 4
|             batting = Left-handed
|             bowling = Right arm [[Fast bowling#Categorisation of fast bowling|medium]]
|                role = [[Batting order (cricket)#Opening batsmen or openers|Opening batsman]]
|              family = [[Stuart Broad]] (son)
|       international = true
|       testdebutdate = 28 June
|       testdebutyear = 1984
|    testdebutagainst = West Indies
|             testcap = 506
|        lasttestdate = 17 June
|        lasttestyear = 1989
|     lasttestagainst = Australia
|        odidebutdate = 1 January
|        odidebutyear = 1987
|     odidebutagainst = Australia
|              odicap = 90
|         lastodidate = 24 May
|         lastodiyear = 1988
|      lastodiagainst = West Indies
|               club1 = [[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire]]
|               year1 = 1979–1983
|               club2 = [[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire]]
|               year2 = 1984–1992
|               club3 = [[Orange Free State cricket team|Orange Free State]]
|               year3 = 1985/86
|               club4 = Gloucestershire
|               year4 = 1993–1994
|             columns = 4
|             column1 = [[Test cricket|Test]]
|            matches1 = 25
|               runs1 = 1,661
|            bat avg1 = 39.54
|           100s/50s1 = 6/6
|          top score1 = 162
|         deliveries1 = 6
|            wickets1 = 0
|           bowl avg1 = –
|            fivefor1 = –
|             tenfor1 = –
|       best bowling1 = –
|  catches/stumpings1 = 10/–
|             column2 = [[One Day International|ODI]]
|            matches2 = 34
|               runs2 = 1,361
|            bat avg2 = 40.02
|           100s/50s2 = 1/11
|          top score2 = 106
|         deliveries2 = 6
|            wickets2 = 0
|           bowl avg2 = –
|            fivefor2 = –
|             tenfor2 = –
|       best bowling2 = –
|  catches/stumpings2 = 10/–
|             column3 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
|            matches3 = 340
|               runs3 = 21,892
|            bat avg3 = 38.07
|           100s/50s3 = 50/105
|          top score3 = 227[[not out|*]]
|         deliveries3 = 1631
|            wickets3 = 16
|           bowl avg3 = 64.81
|            fivefor3 = 0
|             tenfor3 = 0
|       best bowling3 = 2/14
|  catches/stumpings3 = 189/–
|             column4 = [[List A cricket|LA]]
|            matches4 = 319
|               runs4 = 10,396
|            bat avg4 = 34.76
|           100s/50s4 = 11/68
|          top score4 = 122
|         deliveries4 = 1027
|            wickets4 = 25
|           bowl avg4 = 36.80
|            fivefor4 = 0
|             tenfor4 = 0
|       best bowling4 = 3/46
|  catches/stumpings4 = 82/–
| medaltemplates =  <!-- Mention Host Names for Team Sports-->
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Cricket]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{cr|ENG}}}} 
{{MedalCompetition|[[ICC Cricket World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[1987 Cricket World Cup|1987 India and Pakistan]]|}}
|                date = 24 December
|                year = 2007
|              source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1757/1757.html CricketArchive
}}
'''Brian Christopher Broad''' (born 29 September 1957)<ref name="Cap"/> is an English [[cricket]] official, broadcaster, and former player. He was a part of the English squad which finished as [[1987 Cricket World Cup final|runners-up]] at the [[1987 Cricket World Cup]].

As an [[opening batsman]], he played 26 Test matches for [[England national cricket team|England]] and scored six centuries, together with 34 [[One Day International]] matches with a respectable over 40 average. He is known largely for his feats during the [[English cricket team in Australia in 1986–87|1986/87 Ashes series]] where he hit three centuries in consecutive Tests, and for his fiery demeanour at the crease.

Broad's children are both involved in cricket. His son [[Stuart Broad]] is a fast bowler who, like his father, has represented both England and [[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire]], while his daughter Gemma worked as a performance analyst with England's One-Day squad.<ref>[http://thebroadappeal.org/the-broad-family/ The Broad Family], The Broad Appeal</ref> Cricket correspondent Colin Bateman noted, "Chris Broad pressed the self-destruct button on a career that promised so much. His lack of self-control at the crease brought a sad end to his reign as England opener at the age of 30, when he should have been enjoying his [[prime years]]".<ref name="Cap">{{cite book |title=If The Cap Fits |last=Bateman |first=Colin |year=1993 |publisher=Tony Williams Publications |isbn=1-869833-21-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/ifcapfits0000unse/page/31 31] |url=https://archive.org/details/ifcapfits0000unse/page/31 }}</ref>

==Early life and domestic career==
Born 29 September 1957, in [[Knowle, Bristol]], to parents Ken and Nancy, Broad suffered from [[osteomyelitis]] at the age of 15, which delayed his development as a cricketer.<ref name=his>{{cite web|url=https://www.trentbridge.co.uk/trentbridge/history/players/chris-broad.html|title=Chris Broad|publisher=[[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club]]|date=July 2020|access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref> His first-class debut came for [[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire]] in 1979 and he secured a permanent place in the team the following summer, before moving to Nottinghamshire in 1984.<ref name=his/> He also played for [[Orange Free State cricket team|Orange Free State]] in 1985–86. Returning to Gloucestershire in 1993,<ref name="Cap"/> Broad retired at the end of the 1994 season with a hip injury.<ref name=his/> He is a past student of [[University of Gloucestershire|St Paul's College, Cheltenham]].

==International record==
Broad made his [[Test cricket|Test]] debut for [[English cricket team|England]] in 1984, in the second Test match against the [[West Indian cricket team|West Indies]] at [[Lord's]]. Opening the batting with [[Graeme Fowler]], Broad scored 55 in an opening partnership of 101 runs. Fowler went on to score 106 runs; however, England were bowled out for 286. The West Indies reached 245 in response. England's second innings began poorly, Broad being dismissed for a [[duck (cricket)|duck]] having faced only nine balls, and the West Indies reached the 342 run target set for them thanks to 214* from [[Gordon Greenidge]].<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63376.html The Wisden Trophy&nbsp;– 2nd Test&nbsp;– England v West Indies] from [[CricInfo]] retrieved 6 June 2008</ref> Broad therefore averaged 27.50 in his debut Test match.<ref name=av>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/9230.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting;view=cumulative BC Broad Test matches&nbsp;– Batting analysis&nbsp;– Cumulative average] from [[CricInfo]] retrieved 6 June 2008</ref>

Broad opened in the next Test match against the West Indies at [[Headingley Cricket Ground|Headingley]], Yorkshire beginning on 12 July 1984, scoring 32 and two.<ref name=match>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/9230.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting;view=innings BC Broad&nbsp;– Test matches&nbsp;– Batting analysis&nbsp;– Test match list] from [[CricInfo]] retrieved 6 June 2008</ref> He scored 42 and 21 in the next Test, and four and 39 in the final Test of the series,<ref name=match/> ending his first series with 195 runs at 24.37.<ref name=series>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/9230.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting;view=series BC Broad&nbsp;– Test matches&nbsp;– Batting analysis&nbsp;– Series averages] from [[CricInfo]] retrieved 6 June 2008</ref> Broad then played one Test match against [[Sri Lanka cricket team|Sri Lanka]], scoring his highest score thus far, 86 in a drawn Test match.<ref name=match/> Broad did not play for England again until 14 November 1986 during the [[English cricket team in Australia in 1986–87|1986 Ashes series]]. He began quietly with eight and 35*, however in the second Test at [[Perth]] he scored 162 and 16.<ref name=match/> He then scored 116 and 15* at [[Adelaide]], 112 at [[Melbourne]] and six and 17 in Sydney.<ref name=match/> He ended this Ashes tour with 487 runs and three centuries from nine innings.<ref name=series/> He scored centuries in three consecutive matches, only the eighth Englishman at the time to have achieved this feat (five more have achieved it subsequently).<ref>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/282976.html Hundreds in consecutive matches] from [[CricInfo]] retrieved 7 August 2010</ref>

At this time Broad made his [[One Day International]] debut in 1986, against [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] in [[Perth]], Western Australia where he scored 76 and England won by 37 runs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8538/scorecard/65909/australia-vs-england-2nd-match-benson-&-hedges-challenge-1986-87|title=Full Scorecard of Australia vs England, Benson & Hedges Challenge, 2nd Match - Score Report |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|language=en|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref>

In his only tour of Pakistan in 1987. Broad was severely reprimanded by the tour manager after refusing to walk when given out caught behind in the second innings of the Lahore Test match.<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63470.html 1st Test&nbsp;– Pakistan v England] from [[CricInfo]] retrieved 4 March 2009</ref> Broad had stood his ground and almost a minute elapsed before Gooch persuaded him to go. The game was marred by numerous allegations of unfair dismissals by the umpires. [[Mike Gatting]], the England captain, let his views on these decisions be known, both on the pitch and in the press conference after the day's play.<ref>[http://www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/current/story/152011.html 1st Test&nbsp;– Pakistan v England Match Report] from [[CricInfo]] retrieved 17 August 2009</ref>

He was dropped ostensibly for a lack of form, but it was also widely viewed that the England management did not agree with his temperament&nbsp;– he famously knocked his [[Stump (cricket)|stumps]] out of the ground after being bowled in the 1988 Sydney [[Bicentennial Test]]. He was fined the maximum permitted (£500) by the tour manager. Broad last played for England in the second Test against Australia in 1989, having played in 25 Test matches with a high score of 162 and an average of 39.54. Unusually, he made all of his centuries outside England&nbsp;– four in Australia, one in New Zealand and one in Pakistan.

Broad was a member of the unofficial England XI for the controversial [[Rebel tours of South Africa|rebel tour]] to [[England XI in South Africa in 1989–90|South Africa in 1989–90]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The 16 cricketers accused of taking blood money|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=[[London]]|date=2 August 1989|page=22}}</ref>

==Test official==

In 2003, Broad was appointed as a match referee for Test matches and One Day Internationals by the [[International Cricket Council]], beginning with the [[Pakistani cricket team in New Zealand in 2003–04|2003–04 series between New Zealand and Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/home-win-could-boost-new-zealand-s-test-standing-to-second-125855|title=Home win could boost New Zealand's Test standing to second|publisher=[[International Cricket Council]]|date=16 December 2003|access-date=8 August 2023|website=[[ESPNcricinfo]]}}</ref>

In 2009, Broad was the match referee for the Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  During the second Test in [[Lahore]], he was in a convoy of vehicles that was [[2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team|attacked by terrorists]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/7920306.stm|title=Lahore Test scrapped after attack|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=3 March 2009|access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/4932843/Sri-Lankan-cricketers-Former-England-cricketer-Chris-Broad-hailed-hero-of-Lahore-ambush.html|title=Sri Lankan cricketers: Former England cricketer Chris Broad hailed hero of Lahore ambush|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|first1=Isambard|last1=Wilkinson|first2=John|last2=Bingham|date=3 March 2009|access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref> During the attack he reportedly risked his life to protect an injured umpire. He and umpire [[Simon Taufel]] subsequently criticised the level of protection provided to officials and players, saying in a press conference, "We were promised high levels of security and in our hour of need that security vanished". Six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed during the attack, and six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured.

In 2023, Broad tweeted a meme about son Stuart dismissing [[David Warner (cricketer)|David Warner]] again in Test cricket. He was supposedly rebuked for this by the ICC and then deleted the tweet.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 July 2023 |title=Ashes 2023: Match referee Chris Broad deletes tweet, reportedly gets rebuked by ICC for posting anti-David Warner meme |url=https://www.wisden.com/series/australia-in-england-2023/cricket-news/ashes-2023-match-referee-chris-broad-deletes-tweet-reportedly-gets-rebuked-by-icc-for-posting-anti-david-warner-meme |access-date=23 March 2025 |work=[[Wisden]]}}</ref>

==The Broad Appeal==
Broad's second wife, Miche, was diagnosed with [[motor neurone disease]] (MND) in spring 2009. She took her own life the following year in July.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/news/8004517/Wife-of-cricket-star-Chris-Broad-took-her-own-life-amid-motor-neurone-disease-battle.html|work=The Telegraph|author=John Bingham|title=Wife of cricket star Chris Broad took her own life amid motor neurone disease battle|date=15 September 2010}}</ref> Together with his children [[Stuart Broad|Stuart]] and Gemma, Broad established the charity "The Broad Appeal" in February 2011 to raise both awareness of and funds for MND.<ref>[https://www.cricketworld.com/cricket-world-tv-stars-support-broad-appeal-launch/28019.htm Cricket World]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=9230}}
*[http://www.jonholmesmedia.com/clientinfo.php?id=chrisbroad Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624102529/http://www.jonholmesmedia.com/clientinfo.php?id=chrisbroad |date=24 June 2017 }} at Jon Holmes Media Ltd.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20191217044429/http://thebroadappeal.org/ Official Website] of The Broad Appeal

{{England Squad 1987 Cricket World Cup}}
{{ICC Match Referees}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broad, Chris}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Gloucestershire]]
[[Category:Cricketers at the 1987 Cricket World Cup]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Bristol]]
[[Category:Cricket match referees]]
[[Category:England One Day International cricketers]]
[[Category:England Test cricketers]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:English terrorism victims]]
[[Category:Free State cricketers]]
[[Category:Gloucestershire cricketers]]
[[Category:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers]]
[[Category:Nottinghamshire cricketers]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]