Stuart Broad retires: NASSER HUSSAIN believes England star has picked the perfect time to retire from cricket

Great cricketers deserve to go out at the very top so for that reason Stuart Broad has picked the perfect time to announce his retirement.

It is always a dream to finish on a high and it does not get much higher than this, especially if England now go on to win here at the Oval and level this Ashes series.

You could argue Broad could have let the dust settle on this series before he made his plans public but, fact is, he deserves a send off from the Oval crowd.

There is no doubt Broad will go down as one of the all-time greats not only of English cricket but in the world game. He has, after all, in this series become only the second seamer in history to reach the remarkable figure of 600 Test wickets.

Not only has Broad reached that magical milestone but he has also been the leading wicket-taker in this series, with 20 going into Australia’s second innings, and has been at his absolute best throughout this brilliant Ashes.

Broad will retire from all forms of cricket after the final Ashes Test following a 17-year career

Broad will now join the Sky Sports cricket broadcast team upon his retirement from the sport

It has been classic Broad the showman throughout this Ashes even right at the end when he swapped Marnus Labuschagne’s bails over and then immediately saw Mark Wood take his wicket. And the way he went out to bat after the Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord’s.

Even the way he invariably appeals without looking at the umpire – the ‘celebrappeal’ – is classic Broad. He can wind up the opposition but England players and fans love him.

It is perfect, too, that Broad is going out at the end of an Ashes because the battles against Australia have defined his career. He has been one of the world’s best against all teams in all conditions but his pinnacle has always been against the old enemy.

The thing he will be most remembered for are his match-defining spells and they have invariably come in the Ashes too. Those moments in history when his legs have been pumping, he has got on a roll and the force is with him will be cherished memories – the Oval 2009, Durham 2013, Trent Bridge 2015 to name but three.

He really has been an incredible cricketer. Stuart has everything you want from a bowler. The knowledge, the skill and the heart. Not to mention the sense of theatre and ability to always rise to the big occasion. You would always want to go into battle with him.

Broad became only the second seamer to reach 600 Test wickets this series behind James Anderson

As a captain you can look into a cricketer’s eye and immediately know if they are up for the fight. Broad always was. Rarely does a cricketer tick every box but he really does.

He has had to stay supremely fit, too, to play 167 Tests which is a truly incredible number for a fast bowler. Broad loves the game and has made huge sacrifices away from the spotlight with his dedication, lifestyle and diet to stay at the top for so long.

Broad has always put his team first. You can listen to bowlers after they have taken a five-wicket haul saying it will only matter if the team wins but Broad really means it.

Yes, having the lad at the other end, a certain Jimmy Anderson, has been a huge advantage for Broad. The same way Courtney Walsh was a huge advantage for Curtly Ambrose. You do bowl as a partnership and Stuart would have learnt so much from Jimmy, as Jimmy has learnt so much from him.

Yet if Broad has sometimes gone slightly under the radar then he hasn’t done this summer because Anderson has had a quiet series and Stuart has had a fantastic one. He has been centre stage throughout this Ashes and that has been a fitting swansong for him.

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Certainly, whenever Anderson has not been there over the years Broad has always stood up – like when he took that eight for 15 against Australia on his home ground eight years ago. And that for me is his stand-out quality. Some people shy away from the cauldron of international cricket, Broad has always relished it.

Stuart will fit perfectly into the Sky commentary box. He is so knowledgeable on the game. When I speak to him I just stand there and listen. He tells me things about bowling that I have never really thought about.

He has always known all his statistics. Broad will come off the field for instance knowing what his average is against left handers. The other morning I did an interview with him and he knew that when he is playing here at the Oval if they leave more than 25 per cent of the balls he bowls at them he’s not bowled particularly well and if they leave less than 20 per cent then he has bowled really well. It’s mind-boggling what he knows.

When Broad started perhaps he bowled too short but he learnt to pitch it up, g round the wicket and learnt new skills. The work he does away from the game shows the greatness in him. Stuart Broad is a true great and will be missed by England – but he has got this absolutely right.