Stuart Broad Broken Nose: What Really Happened During England-India Old Trafford Test 2014?

Images of England pacer Stuart Broad‘s broken nose are one of the most disturbing photos to have been made public post an injury on a cricket field. In fact, Broad himself tweeted a photo right after an operation which was needed to fix his fractured nose.

With the left-handed batter bleeding right away after coping a blow to his face, then-England captain Alastair Cook had expressed concerns with respect to a potential cheek fracture during the post-match presentation ceremony the same day.

“It was a really nasty blow but hopefully there aren’t any cheek fractures. We wish him well and hopefully he hasn’t ruined his good looks.”

Broad, who had to be taken to the hospital immediately, didn’t take part in the remainder of the match which included him not bowling in the second innings where England bundled out India for 161 in 43 overs to register an innings victory. It was after the match that an ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) spokesperson shared an affirmative possibility regarding Broad likely to take part in the fifth Test.

“X-rays confirm a fractured nose. He will have treatment over the course of the week and the medical team anticipate he will be available for the fifth Test.”

Broad, who had picked a 12th Test five-wicket haul in the first innings, was adjudged the Player of the Match for the seventh time in his Test career. A fierce fighter that he is till date, Broad had recovered from a broken nose to turn up for the final match of the series played after a five-day gap at The Oval.

Stuart Broad Broken Nose

For the uninitiated, it all had happened during the fourth Test of India’s tour of England 2014. Having sown the seeds of an English victory with his bowling on Day 1, the then 28-year old player was hit right after the lunch interval on Day 3.

On strike for the second ball of the afternoon session, Broad played a dot ball before hitting fast bowler Varun Aaron for a couple of sixes off as many balls. With the Indian speedster looking to trouble Broad with the short ball, he was unable to dismiss him as both the balls pulled by the latter had landed on the other side of the boundary ropes.

That said, a comparatively faster third short ball troubled Broad to the extent of breaking his nose. Wanting to nail another pull, Broad completely missed the ball only to be hit between the grille and visor of his helmet. With blood falling on the pitch, it was evident straightaway that Broad had suffered a pounding blow.

Stuart Broad Faced Nightmares Of Getting Hit In The Face

Without showing any pressing signs of worry throughout the next Test, a “nervous but fine” Broad scored 37 (21) in addition to picking three wickets across the two innings in another three-day innings victory. However, recovering from a knee surgery brought back dreaded memories of the same for the right-arm bowler.

Not named in England’s ODI squad for the imminent series against India, Broad went under the knife for a procedure on his right knee to overcome a tendonitis the very next month. Speaking at a Hardys Wines event in Adelaide during the ICC Cricket World Cup the following year, Broad even admitted to be in consultation with a sports psychologist.

“During my time having four months with a knee injury, I’ve had nightmares about it. I’ve had times when I’ve felt the ball just about to hit my face in the middle of the night. It has been quite tough. I’m working with the sports psychologist to try to focus the mind on other things.”

Did Stuart Broad’s Batting Get Affected By A Nose Fracture?

In all these years, it has been widely speculated that Broad’s batting suffered after getting hit by Aaron. Neither there’s any scientific proof of the same nor Broad ever acknowledged anything like that happening.

However, his batting numbers suggest that the injury seem to have play played a role in adversely affecting his skills as a batter. In 73 Tests between his debut and Manchester Test 2014, Broad had scored 2,156 runs at an average of 23.95 including a century and 10 half-centuries. Since then, Broad has only scored 1,506 runs at an average of 13.32 including three half-centuries across 94 Tests.