Stuart Broad: Ben Stokes, Bazball & The Mindset That Changed English Cricket

**Damian Penrose** (0:00)
Before we get into today's episode, a massive thank you to Apple Podcasts for including High Performance in their 2026 Creators We Love campaign. If you've just found the show, welcome. Nice to have you with us. Head to Apple Podcasts to see mine and Damian's favourite episodes from the last six years of High Performance.

**Stuart Broad** (0:18)
People have spent the money to come and watch you here at Lord of Home Cricket. They don't want to see you block the ball. Go and win the game. And if you lose trying to win, we're all happy, but go and win the game. It's a game based around being able to deal with failure. And being able to deal with someone getting the better of you, but then bouncing back. You know, you're not going to score 100 every day. You're not going to get five for every day.
But that's why you can't judge yourself on the outcome all the time. Challenge your limitations, but learn and stick by your strengths.

**Damian Penrose** (0:45)
Hi there. Welcome along to High Performance. Listen, if you're in a moment in your life where a big decision is looming or maybe big change is on the horizon, you may be feeling fearful. Well, today's guest is here to help you understand how we can deal with fear and deal with uncertainty that change often brings us.
This week, the cricket world was stopped in its tracks when Ben Stokes, the man who arguably has transformed English cricket as he led with total authenticity and always ran towards danger, announced his retirement from the game at Trent Bridge and he leaves behind one of the most remarkable captaincy stories the game has ever seen. There's actually one other person who knows exactly what that decision feels like and who totally understands Ben Stokes as a leader better than almost anyone. That man is Stuart Broad. He retired in 2023 having chosen his moment perfectly. The ashes at the Oval, leaving at the very top. In this conversation, he shares the story of the night he walked down the corridor at the Oval Hotel and knocked on Stokesy's door to tell him his career was over. But this episode is about far more than just leaving things behind. It is full of lessons for you about what it actually takes to perform at the elite for decades after decades. The mental frameworks that Stuart built after one of the most public failures in cricket history, the warrior mode that he used, the honesty that he shares, the note making that he relied on. And actually, I think that you might be the ones making some notes as you listen to this. So let's jump straight into our conversation with Stuart, recorded live in a theatre, and we start where every great career eventually has to get to, the hardest decision of all.
Enjoy.

**Stuart Broad** (2:25)
Ultimately, I think, anyone know when you walk away from something that you absolutely love, it's one of the most difficult decisions going. And I was in a place where I was bowling really well. I was enjoying my bowling. I was loving playing under Stokesy and Baz. The team environment was sensational, turning up each day, having a lot of fun. And of course, there's always pressure with international cricket, but I didn't feel a huge amount of pressure and scrutiny. I trusted the hierarchy.
But ultimately, I knew I had a goal to finish playing for England. I knew I wanted my last ball to be at the pinnacle, England versus Australia, at the Oval, a gorgeous place to play. I think that's what makes me the most proud, is that I stuck to my principles of knowing that I wanted to finish at the top. And I went through a bit of an emotional roller coaster in the final 10 days of my career. I started thinking about it a bit at Old Trafford. And then the Oval just came so quickly. You know, when you've got a big decision hanging over you, time seems to go, like, disappear on you a bit, doesn't it? So I tried not to think too much about it, because ultimately we need to win the Oval Test match. We've got to focus on performance and deliver a good game. But it got to the Friday night. So that would be day two, end of day two. And I'm like, I've got to make a decision here. You know, I've kept my sort of inner circle tiny. You know, Neil Farah, the great friend of mine, Molly, my mom and Alistair Cook were basically my real sort of confidences in it. And I had to, it was getting to that stage of the game is approaching the end. You know, I need to know what I'm thinking. And I FaceTime Molly on the Friday night, still humming and aahing a little bit. And she said, trust your gut, trust your gut. You know, we'll support you forever. Problem is I had no gut feeling. That was a really difficult thing. I said to Molly that on the FaceTime, I said, you know what, I just wish I was playing badly. So something was telling me, just walk away from it. You know, I've always had that fear of bowling against a 21-year-old and them going, I thought he was supposed to be good.