Was it ever in doubt? Did people really think Stuart Broad would sail off into the sunset quietly? Not a chance. On a raucous final day of what has been an otherworldly series by way of incident there was always likely to be one last iconic moment from a cricketer forged in the white heat of the Ashes.
Rain in Manchester may have put paid to England’s hopes of regaining the urn under Ben Stokes. But as Broad wheeled away, his removal of Alex Carey caught behind sealing a 49‑run victory and a 2-2 series draw, it was hard not to ponder the question famously put to Ian Botham all those years ago: who writes your scripts?
