England's playing XI from Stuart Broad's Test debut - where are they now?

England veteran Stuart Broad is on his last leg as a professional cricketer in the ongoing fifth Ashes Test at The Oval in London. The fast bowler announced his decision to retire at the end of the game on Saturday, July 29.

With Australia chasing 384 to win the series 3-1, openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja forged an unbeaten stand of 135 before rain interrupted proceedings halfway through the fourth day. Broad will look to make inroads into the visitors' batting unit one final time whenever play resumes.

It has been a long and storied career for the Nottinghamshire seamer, who made his bow in ODIs and T20s in 2006 before making his Test debut a year later against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

He was drafted into England's playing XI for the second Test, incidentally as a replacement for James Anderson, with whom he would go on to share a long and fruitful partnership over the years.

The match petered out to a draw as Sri Lanka responded to England's 351 with a mammoth 548/9 declared. The visitors then saved the game comfortably in the second innings and ended on 250/3.

With Broad deciding to hang up his boots, let's look back at England's playing XI from that Test and where they are now.

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Openers - Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan (c)

Skipper Michael Vaughan opened the batting for England in this Test in the company of the prodigious Alastair Cook. Both struck twin fifties in the Test and shared a 133-run stand on the opening day, before backing it up with a 107-run partnership in the second innings that secured the visitors a draw.

Both Cook and Vaughan have long retired from international cricket, although the former still plies his trade for Essex in the County Championship. Both players in question also work as commentators and experts, with their views on the game often popular amongst the fans.

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Middle Order - Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara and Matt Prior (wk)

Matt Prior's rescue act helped England post 351 in the first innings of the SSC Test in 2007 (File image).

A strong middle order headlined by Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood was rounded off by the duo of Ravi Bopara and Matt Prior.

Bell and Pietersen endured failures in the first innings before scoring 54 and an unbeaten 45 respectively in the second essay on Day 5. Pietersen also bowled 15 wicketless overs for 58 runs, with England missing a second spinner. Collingwood made scores of 52 and an unbeaten 23 while bowling a solitary over.

Bopara and Prior batted only once. While the former was bamboozled by a Lasith Malinga yorker first ball, the latter's 130-ball 79 while shepherding the tail was instrumental in England posting 351.

Bell retired from all cricket at the end of the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020 and is presently the batting consultant of Derbyshire, having coached the England Lions team last year. He also played the Road Safety World Series in 2022 and captained England Legends.

Pietersen is a renowned cricket commentator and was an active presence during the first half of this Ashes series, while also making his appearance felt in the IPL. Collingwood, on the other hand, is actively involved in coaching and is presently the assistant coach of the England men's team.

Bopara continues to remain an active cricketer in leagues around the world. Prior is heading a business venture involved in sports apparrel, although he too took part in the Legends League Cricket tournament in 2022.

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Bowlers - Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar

Broad made his bow in Test cricket and was one of four frontline bowlers that included fellow seamers Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison, apart from a lone spinner in Monty Panesar.

The quartet shared the spoils as far as the wickets were concerned, with Sidebottom's 3/100 being the pick of the lot. Harmison matched him with an equal number of wickets, while Panesar bagged just two. Broad toiled away for 36 overs and managed to dismiss Chaminda Vaas for his maiden Test scalp.

Sidebottom and Panesar both played the Legends League Cricket last year, with the latter also taking part in the Legends Cricket Trophy earlier in March.

Both have been involved in broadcasting duties, while Sidebottom and Harmison were temporarily a part of Yorkshire's coaching staff. Harmison is an active commentator and expert who has been often vocal about his opinions on the sport in recent times.

Broad will bow out from all cricket at the end of Ashes 2023. But given his occasional presence behind the microphone over time in the T20 Blast and The Hundred, it won't be a surprise if a commentary gig awaits him.

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Sri Lanka's playing XI from 2nd Test in Colombo, 2007

Having won the first Test in Kandy, Sri Lanka took the three-match series against England in 2007 by a 1-0 margin after draws in the next two games.

Here's a look at the playing XI they fielded for the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club:

Michael Vandort, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (c), Chamara Silva, Jehan Mubarak, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan.

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What is your favorite Stuart Broad moment in Tests? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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