England

The tourists started the day needing eight wickets to seal victory but they were frustrated by Pieter Malan (84) and Quinton de Kock (50) in Cape Town.

England still needed five wickets in the final session, and their all-time leading wicket taker James Anderson bowled only two overs after lunch amid fears of another injury.

However, De Kock holed out to a senseless shot off Joe Denly before Ben Stokes (3-53) finished off the tail as England won by 189 runs inside the final hour.

"[It is] very special, the crowd has been exceptional today, it's been an incredible day's play and a great Test match," Broad said.

"We had to work incredibly hard, we knew we were going to do that from yesterday's play.

"Incredible discipline from South Africa throughout the day but we kept saying all the time, 'One bit of magic', tried some funky fields, one breakthrough and we can apply some pressure. Fortunately we got that.

"On pitches like that, you need a bit of luck chasing 10 wickets and then you need a hell of a lot of character and skill.

"Stokesy finishing with the catching towards the end is something we've worked a lot towards.

"We're very proud of the character we showed throughout the Test match."

Stokes' all-round performance was once again key, the 28-year-old's 47-ball 72 allowing England to declare on 391-8 in their second innings.

His innings had come alongside maiden centurion Dom Sibley, who was elated his unbeaten 133 eventually came in a winning cause.

"Amazing win. Amazing atmosphere as well - it felt like a home game at the end," Sibley added.

"We were a bit flat but things changed quickly. Stokesy turned it on and produced a hell of a spell.

"I've lost two [Tests] and drawn one so it's nice to get a win on the board. To do it in that manner was amazing.

"It's nice to get the win and nice to have contributed. An amazing feeling and hopefully it continues."

The seamer trapped West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite lbw early on the final day of the third Test to become just the seventh player to reach the notable milestone.

Only long-time new-ball partner James Anderson – who had also dismissed Brathwaite to reach 500 in his career back in 2017 – has managed more wickets for England in the longest format.

Broad claimed another later during Monday's play to move to 501, finishing the innings with figures of 4-36 to give him 10 in the match.

In the three-match series, he picked up 16 wickets at an average of just 10.93 - numbers made even more impressive when taking into consideration he was left out for the opener in Southampton.

The 34-year-old's fine form since his recall sees him climb in the Test player rankings, with only Australia paceman Pat Cummins and New Zealand left-armer Neil Wagner bettering his new rating of 823.

"It's special to get the 500, amazing, and what makes it extra special is taking it in a Test match which has led to a win and Test series win," Broad told Sky Sports after play at Old Trafford.

"I think you always remember moments as a player when winning games. Winning Test matches is what it's all about."

England are back in Test action next week, as the first of three matches against Pakistan gets under way on August 5.

England's all-time leading Test wicket-takers Broad and Anderson have been left out of the squad for next month's tour after a dismal Ashes series led to the departure of head coach Chris Silverwood.

Interim managing director of cricket Andrew Strauss, interim coach Paul Collingwood, and head scout James Taylor made up a three-man selection committee ahead of the series, which begins in Antigua on March 8, and have settled on a 16-man squad that does not include either of the seamers.

Despite Strauss contending that there was a way back for both bowlers, who have taken 1,177 Test wickets between them, Broad has used his newspaper column to hit out at the decision.

"I have to confess that I wasn't expecting the phone call I received from Andrew Strauss on Tuesday that started with him saying: 'I've got some bad news'," Broad wrote in the Daily Mail.

"I am waking up more confused and angrier with each passing day. I feel gutted. 

"Do I need to prove myself again? In my mind, I've nothing to prove. I am a proven performer, so it is now about the English cricketing summer and targeting the home series against New Zealand in June."

The 35-year-old pace bowler, whose tally of 73 career Test wickets against the West Indies is only beaten by Anderson's 87 amongst active players, also moved to defend his recent England performances and denied that any behind-the-scenes unrest had contributed to the decision.

"I could take being dropped if I had let my standards slip but being overlooked when they haven't is another thing," Broad's column continued.

"I am struggling to put things into context. It's hard to do so when all you've had is a five-minute phone call.

"If I had spoken to one person who had said they agreed with the decision to leave myself and Jimmy out, I could perhaps begin to understand. 

"Do I believe I warrant a place in England's best team? Of course, I do.

"People will ask if there has therefore been some fall-out behind the scenes, a bit of a rumble during the Ashes, but I can categorically say that is not the case. Hence, neither Jimmy nor I saw this coming. We were blindsided."

England's last series win in the West Indies came back in 2003-04.

The seamer trapped opener Brathwaite lbw for 19 in the morning session to aid England's push for victory at Old Trafford, the hosts having been frustrated by bad weather on Monday as play was washed out.

Broad is the seventh bowler to make it to the notable landmark, doing so in his 140th appearance in the longest format of the game. 

The 34-year-old was surprisingly left out by the hosts for the opener in Southampton – a game West Indies won by four wickets – but marked his recall with match figures of 6-108 in the second Test in Manchester. 

He continued his impressive form with a six-wicket haul in the first innings of the series finale, putting his side in complete control having also contributed 62 with the bat.  

Only long-time new-ball partner James Anderson – who also dismissed Brathwaite to reach 500 in 2017 – has managed more wickets for England, while Broad has West Indies legend Courtney Walsh (519) in his sights. 

Glenn McGrath is the leading fast bowler with 563 wickets, but the top three on the prestigious list are all spinners. Anil Kumble managed 619, Shane Warne sits second with 708 and Muttiah Muralitharan is top of the pile by a distance, the Sri Lankan ending his career on exactly 800.

England's all-time leading wicket-taker Anderson will end his remarkable red-ball career after the first Test against West Indies on July 10.

Anderson has taken 700 wickets in 187 Tests, the most by any pace bowler in history, but the 41-year-old will play for a final time after Brendon McCullum signalled a change of plans for the future.

Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson are all potential replacements, though Broad remains concerned for Ben Stokes' bowling options going forward.

"England could easily go into a Test match this summer with a very, very inexperienced bowling group," Broad told Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

"If you don't play a [Chris] Woakes, Mark Wood has a rest and there's no Jimmy Anderson, you could have three seamers and a spinner out there potentially with 20 caps between them.

"That's quite scary as a Test captain I would have thought. We don't know how much [Ben] Stokesy's going to bowl – we hope he does.

"But that could leave you a bit exposed. There's only one way to find out with bowlers, and that's to give them a go."

Anderson's opening-bowler partner Broad retired after last year's Ashes, having finished his illustrious career with 604 Test wickets.

Having neither of the pair available to lead the line with the red ball in future may pose problems and Broad reiterated his concern over the gaping gap Anderson's retirement will leave.

"There's going to certainly be a huge hole left by Jimmy Anderson that someone is going to have to step into," he added.

"And not just by swinging the new ball. But by communicating, by keeping calm if the boundaries are leaking, by tactically being aware of what field works at certain grounds, pitches and times of Test matches.

"Ultimately, you don't learn that unless you're thrown in."

Broad, however, remains hopeful that Stokes and McCullum will find the right combinations to take England into a new era of Test cricket.

"I think exposure for some bowlers now is really important, because there's talent out there," Broad continued.

"There's bowlers out there that need a bit of exposure to see what it's about in Test match cricket.

"They may need time to adjust their training plan and how they operate before a tour in two years' time."

England have enjoyed a significant upturn in fortunes since Brendon McCullum was appointed Test head coach and Ben Stokes replaced Joe Root as captain.

An attacking philosophy enabled them to secure an unprecedented 3-0 away series whitewash of Pakistan after they beat New Zealand and South Africa on home soil, as well as India in a rearranged Test.

They also drew 1-1 in New Zealand, losing a thrilling second Test by one run after making the Black Caps follow-on.

Seamer Broad believes Australia could come unstuck if they try to score at a rapid rate in the battle for the urn.

He told the Daily Mail: "'It's going to be a slight clash of styles and I'm fascinated to see how their bowling attack will defend against us.

"And it will be interesting to see how their batters stay calm because we play so aggressively now. Will they be able stick to their game plans and bubbles when we're playing this style? That will be a test for them.

"I think it would be great for us if Australia try to take us on at our own game. If we can get them playing in a slightly different style they could make mistakes and that would be brilliant for us.

"Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja are all guys who like to bat time and accumulate so if we can nibble away at them and just get them thinking 'why are we not scoring quicker? Why are we not moving the game forward?'

"We leave Jack Leach's mid-on and mid-off in all the time and Stokesey basically says 'you're not having them back. Let them keep hitting you'.

"And he's probably got more caught mid-offs now than lbs, so it's playing on minds. I'd love Smith to dance down the track and sky one to mid-off early doors. That would be classic."

England were hammered 4-0 in the last Ashes series in Australia, but Broad has written that off as "void".

"Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series," he said. "But in my mind I don't class that as a real Ashes. The definition of Ashes cricket is elite sport with lots of passion and players at the top of their game.

"Nothing about that series was high level performance because of the Covid restrictions. The training facilities, the travel, not being able to socialise. I've written it off as a void series."

Broad and James Anderson were surprise omissions from the tour of West Indies in March, which ended in 1-0 series defeat and proved to be the final straw for skipper Root.

Root subsequently stepped down after one win in his 17 Tests, with Ben Stokes taking the captaincy and Brendon McCullum appointed as the new red-ball head coach.

Broad and Anderson were reinstated for the opening Test against New Zealand, which England won by five wickets thanks to Root's magnificent unbeaten 115.

The evergreen Broad claimed match figures of 4-121, including a remarkable spell on the third day that saw him remove centurion Daryl Mitchell and Kyle Jamieson in the space of three balls, with Colin de Grandhomme run out in between.

Broad says there was never any bad blood between him and the former skipper, who reached the 10,000 Test runs landmark when he brought up his century on Sunday.

"Joe and I spoke at length when he stood down as captain and I said to him how much he's meant to me as a captain, and what a privilege it was playing under him," Broad said.

"I told him I hope he really enjoys the next few years, all that pressure has gone now, he's already a legend of the game, so he can just go out there and enjoy it.

"Joe and I are great friends and I've always been someone who can distinguish between business and pleasure. I can't fall out with someone because they don't pick me in a team, that would be a bit pathetic."

Broad is enjoying the start of a new era for England as they prepare for a second Test at his home ground Trent Bridge, which starts on Friday.

"It's been one of the most fun weeks we've had as a team," he added. "Just the relaxed environment, the way we're talking as a team. It's not too structured, it's just a case of what do you need to do to make you feel you're 10-foot tall?

"It's noticeable from Stokesy and Baz [McCullum] that it's all about taking wickets. To start the Stokes-McCullum era with a win is huge for us. To chase 277 is awesome for us as a group.

"To see the way we've attacked that target shows that mindset. Things went our way – that no-ball makes it a different game – but it's no mean feat chasing a score like that. That's a mindset thing.

"I don't think anyone who has come to Lord's can argue it's not been fun, the style of cricket, edge-of-the-seat at times, the crowd has got involved and it's something we want to take to Trent Bridge."

Broad believes having a different outlook is what stood him and Anderson in good stead ahead of their return to the Test side.

"I've changed my mindset over the winter and since Hobart," he continued. "It's not looking too far ahead, it's just enjoying each week for what it is, give everything, and then reset for the next week.

"Jimmy turns 40 this year, four years ago was he thinking 2018 might be his last at Old Trafford? Probably not. That just takes your mind away from enjoying the week.

"I started this season not knowing if I'd pull on the England shirt again, I was just enjoying every day for what it was.

"I wear the Notts shirt with the same pride as the England badge and I'll attack this week with the same mindset: walk out on that first day, look around the stands, and know how lucky I am to be there."

Broad started day five needing just one wicket to become the seventh player to reach the landmark and achieved the feat by removing Kraigg Brathwaite, the same batsman James Anderson dismissed to join the 500 club in 2017.

Pace great Broad, dropped for the first Test in Southampton, then took the series-clinching wicket to finish with 4-36 after the brilliant Woakes claimed 5-50 to bowl the tourists out for only 129.

Broad, who took match figures of 10-67 and smashed a half-century, and Woakes sat out a first match of the series that the Windies won at the Rose Bowl, but showed what England were missing in Manchester.

The Windies head home on Wednesday, still without a Test series win in England since 1988 after losing a contest to be renamed the Richards-Botham Trophy when they next do battle. 

Shai Hope and Brathwaite got the Windies off to an encouraging start after resuming on 10-2 following a day-four washout, but Broad ended a 39-run stand by trapping the opener bang in front to join the 500 club after a rain delay.

Broad remained in the thick of the action, running in from mid-off to catch Hope (31) and Sharmah Brooks edged behind (22) to become Woakes' second victim.

Rain ensured early lunch was taken with the Windies in deep trouble on 84-5 and Dom Bess - who did not bowl a ball in the match - ran Roston Chase out before another shower took the players off again.

Captain Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich - who took a nasty blow to the face while wicketkeeper - and Rahkeem Cornwall were snared lbw in a devastating spell from Woakes.

Broad fittingly finished it off, Jos Buttler taking an excellent catch down the leg side to dismiss Jermaine Blackwood and give England's man of the moment 10 wickets in a Test for the third time.

Broad goes from seething in Southampton to main man in Manchester

Broad was furious after being left out for the first match of the series and could only watch on as the Windies took a 1-0 lead in Southampton.

The paceman has let his performances do the talking in the remainder of the series, playing a major part in England's turnaround with bat and ball.

His dismissal of Brathwaite saw him become the fourth seamer - and the second-youngest bowler behind Muttiah Muralitharan - to claim 500 Test scalps and he put the icing on the cake by taking the last wicket with his first ball of a new spell.

Hope fails to live up to expectations

It was an all too familiar story for Hope on the last day of what has been a poor tour for a batsman who has not shown what he is capable of.

Hope played positively as he made his highest score of the series, hitting six boundaries before throwing his wicket away attempting to dispatch Woakes for a seventh.

The number three heads home without making a half-century three years after making a century in both innings at Headingley. He has not reached three figures in a Test since that famous win in Leeds.

Woakes makes his mark

Woakes was also omitted for the defeat at the Rose Bowl and has responded impressively. 

He took five wickets in the second Test and added another in the first innings this week before ending the series on a high note.

The all-rounder was on the money on the final day, rewarded for consistently bowling on a probing line and length with a fourth five-wicket Test haul.

Broad took his 564th wicket in the longest format on Sunday when he dismissed South Africa captain Dean Elgar leg before wicket at The Oval.

While replays revealed the ball was missing the stumps, Elgar did not review the decision and so Broad, who had matched McGrath's haul of 563 wickets on Saturday, became the seam bowler with the second-most dismissals in Test cricket, behind team-mate James Anderson (667).

Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) are also ahead of Broad - who finished with figures of 3-45 as England reduced South Africa to 169 all out - on the all-time list.

Zak Crawley's superb, unbeaten 57 guided England to within 33 runs of victory until the umpires called time for bad light, with the hosts set to resume on day five with 10 wickets to spare.

"Really special," Broad said in a press conference when asked how it felt to overtake McGrath.

"Jimmy [Anderson] got his 564th [wicket] on September 11 four years ago as well, so that was quite funny. Glenn McGrath's a hero of mine, the reason I wanted to become a bowler, I used to imitate him in the garden.

"Obviously he's a much finer bowler than I've ever been, but it's incredible to be up there in that kind of company and really special to have joined Jimmy as a one-two with him being a great mate and someone who I've shared a fantastic partnership with for a long time."

England are closing in on a sixth Test win of the Brendan McCullum-Ben Stokes era, out of seven matches, with the 'Bazball' approach continuing to receive plaudits.

"It's been incredible to be a part of," Broad said.

"The mindset that those two guys have brought to our changing room and Test cricket as a whole, it's been reinvigorating as a player – no consequences, trying to play cricket on the front foot all the time, I feel it suits my mindset and how I like to play my cricket.

"Just being in a room full of players that want to move the game forward at speed, at no stage is there ever talk about draws or surviving, it's all about taking the positive mindset option at all times.

"It's been incredible how those two have worked together and the messaging has been so united, you feel really backed if you play in the style of cricket those two have created.

"We're now at the stage where every player has contributed throughout the summer, which is a really healthy place to be and as a fan it's been really exciting. We’ve had times where we've been 50-6, 50-7 and got ourselves out of trouble with that mindset."

Asked if he believes he still has plenty to offer, Broad added: "I feel great, I'm 36, feel like I bowled really well, got a bit more luck in this series but if I can keep adapting my game, whether that continues in the winter or the Ashes, it's nice to have that adaptability and do a role for the captain."

The return of international cricket, put on hold since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, was further delayed by rain in Southampton on Wednesday.

However, conditions eventually allowed for the two captains - Ben Stokes and Jason Holder - to emerge for the coin toss, which England won with Stokes electing to bat.

Stand-in captain Stokes, taking the place of Joe Root - missing the match to attend the birth of his second child - confirmed the omission of seam bowler Broad for the first of three behind-closed-doors Tests.

All-rounder Chris Woakes was also left out, with England opting for the pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood alongside the swing of James Anderson.

"Very, very tough decision with [leaving out] Broad and Woakes but we feel with Woody and Jofra's pace it adds another dimension," Broad said. 

"There was a lot of disappointment around but they took it like champions."

Holder, meanwhile, elected to go with four pace bowlers, with Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel joining the all-rounder in the attack.

Rahkeem Cornwall missed out, Holder picking Roston Chase as his spin option.

The start of play was rescheduled for 2:00pm (local time).

Broad suffered the injury during the warm-up in training on Tuesday and will play no further part in the five-match series.

England called up Saqib Mahmood as cover on Wednesday, with James Anderson also set to miss the second Test at Lord's this week after struggling with a tight thigh.

An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement read: "England seamer Stuart Broad has sustained a tear to his right calf and has been ruled out of the Test series against India.

"He underwent an MRI scan in London on Wednesday lunchtime, which revealed a tear."

Mahmood could be set to make his Test debut on Thursday in the absence of England's vastly experienced new-ball pairing of Broad and Anderson.

Pace duo Mark Wood and Craig Overton are also pushing for recalls, while off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali was added to the squad this week following a first Test that ended in a draw at Trent Bridge.

Fast bowler Broad has been a batting enigma at international level, boasting a top score of 169 and now 13 half-centuries, but there have also been 35 ducks and abundant single-figure scores across his 205 innings.

His 62 on Saturday was bludgeoned from just 45 balls, allowing England to recover after collapsing from 262-4 to 280-8 in their first innings, the hosts eventually posting 369 all out.

West Indies were in trouble on 137-6 at stumps in response, with Broad and James Anderson both returning figures of 2-17, leading to talk of a possible follow-on.

Broad said England "had a great day", but he had an exceptional day.

"Batting is such a frustrating, weird thing," Broad told Sky Sports.

"If you'd told me this morning I'd get 10, I'd have been pretty happy to shake your hand and take it. You end up getting 60 and end up kicking the ground you've not got 70.

"It's the weirdest thing in the world. It's great to get 60, but I'm annoyed I hit a full toss straight down deep mid-wicket's throat now."

The 34-year-old revealed how former England head coach Peter Moores, now at Nottinghamshire, had provided several useful pointers towards Broad becoming a better batsman.

"He came to me in June and said about looking at how Shane Warne played, particularly in the 2005 Ashes when he scored some really useful runs," Broad said.

"It was quite unorthodox and opening up different parts of the field. I looked at that, did a bit research at how he went about it and decided that was quite a good way for me to go, to open up the off side as I look scoring through there. To try and keep my head out of falling over.

"It's really hard to tell in the nets – you need match practice at it – but I felt really comfortable today. The situation helped – it was not one of those to hang around for two hours and see where we went, it was one of those to try and take attack to the bowlers."

Broad succeeded where many colleagues failed on the second morning of the match, before a pace onslaught from England left West Indies in deep trouble.

Having the option to make the tourists follow on in the series decider would be a dream scenario for England, and West Indies will require 33 more runs to avoid that possible fate.

"That's definitely something we will be hunting for, especially with some weather around," Broad said.

"You don't want to read too much into the forecast, but if we got the chance to enforce the follow-on, it would be a serious consideration because we are desperate to win this series.

"If that gives us the best chance to do that, the bowlers will be fresh and ready to go."

Joe Root confirmed on the eve of England's first game of the summer at Lord's that paceman Broad will be his deputy.

Broad steps in with Ben Stokes still recovering from a fractured finger and Jos Buttler rested after completing a quarantine period following the cancellation of the Indian Premier League.

England face the Black Caps at Edgbaston after starting the two-match series at Lord's this week.

Broad revealed he considered retiring after he was left "frustrated, angry and gutted" over his omission from the side for the first Test against West Indies in July before responding with some outstanding performances.

James Anderson will match Alastair Cook's record of 161 Test appearances if he is named in the team to face on Kane Williamson's side in London on Wednesday.

Jason Holder won a delayed toss and, under heavy skies in Manchester, opted to bowl first as West Indies chase a series-clinching victory.

While the tourists are unsurprisingly unchanged after their four-wicket triumph in Southampton last week, England have made four alterations to their team.

Joe Root - who missed the previous game due to the birth of his second child - returns to captain this side in place of Joe Denly, but England are without Jofra Archer, who was excluded from the squad following a breach of bio-secure protocols.

The pace bowler is to isolate for five days, during which he will undertake two COVID-19 tests. Both results need to be negative before his period of self-isolation is lifted.

Archer's absence was only confirmed on the morning of the Test, England having already announced on Wednesday that fellow pace bowlers James Anderson and Mark Wood would be rested at Old Trafford.

The uncapped Ollie Robinson misses out as Broad, Curran and Woakes get the nod.

"A statement has gone out this morning and as a side we've got to look at the next five days and put in a good performance to bounce back from last week," Root told Sky Sports after the toss.

The England skipper also confirmed that despite Archer being ruled out, there was no consideration to adding either Anderson or Wood to the 12-man squad.

"With both of those, having come back from two serious injuries, it seemed very high risk to play them in this game," Root added. "This is a must-win game for us, but we have to look after them."

England host New Zealand in a three-Test series, starting at Lord's on Thursday, as new Test coach Brendon McCullum welcomes his home country in his first game in charge.

McCullum has already hinted Broad and James Anderson, who have 1,117 Test wickets between them, could feature together after the pair's surprise omission from the West Indies tour in March.

Broad is reportedly contending with Craig Overton for the final spot in the England XI, with the hosts widely expected to select spinner Jack Leach and the seaming duo of Anderson and Matthew Potts.

Nottinghamshire bowler Broad, though, says he will give he is all should he return for England in the first Test.

Asked whether he feared for his future in the red-ball team, Broad responded on Tuesday: "No, not at all. I still felt like I had a lot to offer to the team.

"As a professional sportsperson, if you don't believe you're one of the best bowlers in the country then you're stuffed, aren't you? My mindset was still that I was in the best bowling group, particularly in England.

"Missing out on the West Indies was disappointing. But my approach was to take March off, chill out, and get really fresh, buzzing to play and come back with Notts ready to strike at the right time.

"I've actually done a lot of work with Chris Marshall, the Notts psychologist, on my mindset, because I think that's the most important thing for me going forward.

"Rather than going through the summer and thinking, 'I really want to make sure I'm fit for that second Test of the South Africa series', life doesn't work like that.

"It's very much a case of be grateful for what I've got this week, give my heart and soul for this week, and then if I'm a bit stiff and sore next week or don't play, they want to give a new bowler some experience, then great.

"Give everything to this week, train hard and, if I get in the team, everything will be left on that field.

"I said to Jimmy, whether we get 0-100 or 5-30, the performance doesn't matter right now, it's all about us giving everything to the England shirt and the environment.

"We're good enough that the results will look after themselves in the long run anyway. I feel like I'm bowling well and I'm ready to have an impact on England winning games again."

Broad announced the fifth Test against Australia would be his last match as a professional cricketer on Saturday, before ending his glittering career on a high two days later.

With England requiring two late wickets on day five to level the series at 2-2, Broad dismissed Todd Murphy and Alex Carey to deny Australia a first series win on English soil since 2001.

The 37-year-old ends his career with 604 Test wickets, a tally only bettered by long-time team-mate James Anderson (690) among England players.

Asked about Broad's remarkable final outing, former England skipper Gower told Stats Perform: "Stuart's finished as anyone would like to, on a high, on an absolute high. 

"The Ashes has probably been his specialist subject, but he's taken wickets all around the world. His record, of course, is absolutely outstanding, bettered only by Jimmy Anderson. 

"His last shot being a six over deep midwicket, then to finish with the two wickets that wrapped up the game at The Oval… that is the stuff of legend. 

"Most of us go out without that script, most of us have to slink off having had a pretty bad day! 

"To go [out] on a highlight… that is a privilege accorded to very, very few. Alastair Cook did it at The Oval, others have done it at The Oval. The gods are looking after you when you have that sort of finish.

"I think for so many players, whatever else happens elsewhere in the world, if you are good at The Ashes – because of the history that comes with it – that stays in your memory forever. 

"I was very lucky to have a pretty good record in The Ashes as a batsman, and that's something I'm very proud of. Stuart can be equally proud about the way he succeeded and the way he played.

"We will always miss great players. When England next take to the field in a test match in India or next summer back here against different opposition, [we'll] be looking at the England eleven and thinking, 'I wish we still had Stuart' because people really enjoyed the way he played the game."

Broad's total of 153 wickets in Ashes series is the best of any England bowler, with only Australia pair Shane Warne (195) and Glenn McGrath (157) boasting more dismissals. 

Meanwhile, fellow bowling great Anderson has refuted suggestions he could follow Broad into retirement, saying his team-mate's exit has made his own desire to play on "even more firm".

Reflecting on the duo's incredible Test records, Gower added: "What will stay indelibly in black ink is that record. 

"The records of the game will show him [Broad] with 600-odd wickets in a lot of Test matches, 600 wickets for a seam bowler of his ilk is a lot of wickets. 

"Jimmy Anderson is ahead in that game, and he is even more incredible for his longevity. Jimmy is saying, 'I don't want to give up, I'm only 41!'

"It's an extraordinary thing for him to be quite so fit and strong and capable at that age as a quick bowler. 

"Both of them will look back as their lives develop, and there will always be those figures in the book."

Brook, 24, came to the crease with England in a dire position, sitting at 21-3 after Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope all found themselves dismissed in a combined 39 deliveries.

New Zealand quick Matt Henry took the first wicket, finding the outside edge of Crawley in the fourth over, and after that one went through to Tom Blundell with the gloves on, Pope edged to third-slip off Henry's very next over.

Michael Bracewell snagged another catch at third slip when Tim Southee found Ben Duckett's edge, leaving the visitors in a precarious position, but they were just getting started.

With Joe Root down the other end, Brook showed no fear, maintaining a strike rate near 100 his entire innings as he blasted his way to 100 off 107 deliveries.

It was his fourth century from nine Test innings, and while he still has his sights set on his first double-century, he continued to push the tempo, reaching stumps at 184 not-out off 169 deliveries.

Root played the steady hand, climbing his way to 101 not-out off 182 deliveries, with just 28 of his runs coming from boundaries (seven fours). In contrast, 126 of Brook's runs have come through boundaries (24 fours, five sixes).

The sides were only able to get through 65 overs before the rain arrived, forcing stumps to be called early with England at 315-3.

Harry making history

Brook has burst onto the scene as arguably the most exciting young Test batsman in recent years, and his strike rate of 99.38 is the highest in Test history for players with at least 200 runs in their first five Tests.

He currently has 807 total runs – at an average of 100.87 – giving him a chance to overtake Sunil Gavaskar (912) and Sir Donald Bradman (862) as the only batsmen in Test history with more runs in their first six matches.

Root moves one step closer to Cook's record

Root's century was his 29th while wearing the Test whites for his country, and he took one more step towards reaching Alastair Cook's record of 33. Root is now six centuries clear of third-placed Kevin Pietersen.

Pakistan set England a target of 161, led by opener Shan Masood top-scoring with 39 runs off 22 deliveries, while David Willey impressed with the ball by taking two wickets for England.

England opener Phil Salt was bowled by Naseem Shah for just one run, but a rapid innings from Stokes (36 off 18), coupled with Liam Livingstone's 28, put England in good stead to secure victory by the time of their dismissals.

Brook scored 45 not out from 24 balls and Sam Curran smashed an unbeaten 33 from just 14 to finish the job as England chased down Pakistan's total in just 14.4 overs.

England middle order impresses

With their openers producing a combined 10 runs off 16 balls, it fell on the middle order to win England the match, and they did so in thrilling fashion.

Stokes, Livingstone, Brook and Curran smashed the ball to all areas and accounted for all 12 of their team's sixes.

Each of that quartet finished with strike rates of at least 175 to help England to a morale-boosting victory before their World Cup campaign gets underway against Afghanistan on Saturday.

Jordan improves after tough start

Pakistan ended up on 160-8 from 19 overs, with the match shortened slightly due to a brief rain stoppage.

They had threatened a bigger total, with Chris Jordan smashed for 27 off his first two overs without taking a wicket, but the England bowler steadied the ship to finish with figures of 1-36 from four, including a final over which went for just three runs and included the wicket of Mohammad Wasim (26).

Jordan's bowling at the death ensured England's target was achievable, and they then chased it down comfortably.

The 25-year-old has impressed for England against New Zealand in the current series, helping them to a 2-0 unassailable lead.

Brook, who was labelled as the "best in the world" by Root after sealing the win over New Zealand, scored 171 in the first Test before following it up with scores of 123 and 55 in the second in Wellington.

He now has seven centuries in just 10 Tests away from home, the most by any batter in his first 10 such outings outside of their home country.

Across the 38 innings he has played in 23 Tests since making his debut in 2022, he has scored 2,280 runs.

His ranking score is now 898, one better than Root's 897, but he remains clear of third-place Kane Williamson, who he replaced at the top of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) rankings earlier this year.

Jasprit Bumrah remained top of the rankings in the bowler charts, though Pat Cummins made up some ground, moving up one place to fifth after taking seven wickets in the second Test of Australia's series against India.

Ravindra Jadeja also held onto top spot in the all-around rankings, and holds a healthy lead of 131 over second place, now held by Mehidy Hasan, who moved up two places.

With New Zealand's first innings having been wrapped up at 348 all out, the tourists had their fair share of luck while at the crease with six dropped catches from the hosts at various points throughout the day.

Despite that, England managed to finish on 319-5 at stumps.

Of those drops, four were for Brook, without whom England would surely be facing a comprehensive defeat.

It had been a salvage job from the 25-year-old, who put on a fifth-wicket partnership of 151 runs with Ollie Pope (77) before the latter was caught brilliantly by a flying Glenn Phillips at gully.

At the nadir of their innings and prior to the aforementioned partnership, England had been 71-4 thanks to some excellent New Zealand bowling, with Jacob Bethell making just 10 on his Test debut.

Following Pope's dismissal, England captain Ben Stokes came in to bat in the city of his birth. He put on an unbroken stand of 97 runs with Brook, making 37 himself and looked closer to his best.

Stokes, though, was one of three who was dropped by New Zealand captain Tom Latham while on 30 runs.

Speaking about the missed opportunities during England's innings, New Zealand's Nathan Smith was not too downhearted.

"We judge ourselves off the chances we create and we created enough out there," he told TNT Sports.

"I think a couple of catches going to hand there, it's a completely different story. But they got a couple of good partnerships and we just need to break them with the new ball tomorrow.

"The bounce is there and when the ball is a bit newer, there is some nice seam movement as well. It's just about trying to control the run rate, which is tough against these guys with the old ball.

"We probably got it a little bit wrong going wide to Brook, but I thought we brought it back nicely at the end there."

Data debrief: Brilliant Brook reaches new heights

Brook's132 brought his away-from-home batting average to 93, which puts him second in the all-time list behind Don Bradman.

The score accrued during his innings also means that he now has over 2,000 Test runs.

Brook has clocked up that total in just 36 innings, putting him eighth on the all-time quickest list to have reached 2,000 runs.