Stuart Broad looked in discomfort while bowling in the fourth over of the second Test and called for an inhaler. The incident happened during the Southampton Test against Pakistan. Stuart Broad waited for some time and was seen in a reclining position on the field.
Stuart Broad, who suffers from asthma which is not a secret, but the fact that he had half a lung less than his contemporaries because of premature birth was revealed only during the 2015 Ashes Test.
Stuart Broad Required Inhaler To Cure Asthma But Bowled Exceptionally Well
Stuart Broad has recently reached 500 Test wickets which came during the third Test against West Indies in 2020. Broad became the seventh bowler and fourth fast bowler and also the second England cricketer to achieve the exceptional feat.
He sometimes requires an inhaler to cure asthma. Despite struggling, Broad bowled a first spell that read 5-2-7-0 and he almost had Pakistan captain Azhar Ali to add to his collection but was dropped in the slip region.
Stuart Broad Played 14 Years Despite Having 1/2 Lung Less Than Teammates
The fact that a cricketer especially a pacer with over 500 Test wickets has survived for 14 years with one and a half lungs was only revealed to his teammates during an Ashes Test five years back.
He revealed the secret at a pre-training camp when they asked each other to provide a piece of information about them that was not known by others. James Anderson, his England teammate has 592 wickets whereas Broad has 508 wickets. Broad still may continue playing for England as he is aged 34 but James Anderson has reached the fag end of his career since he is already 38. Broad has played his last ODI in 2016 and T20I in 2014.
“One night we were asked to provide a piece of information about ourselves that no one else knew, with the notion of being open with each other,” Broad had once written in the Daily Mail.
“I shocked the boys a little when I told them I only had one and a half lungs because I was born three months premature.”
His teammates were astonished to hear his secret and also were amazed that he had played for 14 years with half of a lungless and carries inhaler being asthmatic.
“I explained that because I was so tiny when I was born, basically at death’s door, one of my lungs never fully developed. That’s why I’m asthmatic and carry an inhaler. It has never affected me as a sportsman, but the idea that I’ve played my entire career with half a lung less than everybody else is quite amazing when you think about it, ” Broad concluded.
Despite suffering from asthma, Stuart Broad has an enviable fitness record. From 2012 until the first Test of the 2020 summer, he played every single one of England’s Tests at home. His longevity has enabled him to take 500 Test wickets. He debuted in 2007 in Tests.