Ben Stokes sends sweet message to Stuart Broad's family after stunning England farewell

They were the last heroics of Broad's cricketing career, with the 37-year-old announcing days previously that he'd be retiring from the sport.

And Stokes, speaking in the aftermath of the contest, revealed he was delighted to see his team-mates' family watch such a sensational farewell.

“That was always going to happen when we got to that stage of the game," he said.

“There's a lot of emotion knowing we're not going to walk out on the field together again, but that bloke has been incredible for England.

“The longevity of his career, and what he has achieved, should never be forgotten.

"I'm so glad that a lot of his friends and family were here to witness what happened.

"This isn't the only ground where someone has retired and had an unbelievable day, but that's Broady's career in a nutshell, isn't it?

“He's more than a 'moments' cricketer but it was written in the stars for him, so bringing him on with two left-handers in, this was his moment.

"Stuart should be someone people look up to if they want to build a successful career in Test cricket.”

Stokes did admit, however, that he was nervous towards the end of the contest when it looked as though England might slip to defeat.

"I'm not going to lie, in the back of my mind when we got them eight down I knew it would have taken an almighty trainwreck if we didn't win the game," added the skipper.

"I thought I chose my moment quite well to bring Broady back into the attack.

"But seeing him run off with the slips going up to celebrate was one of those moments. It was just always going to happen."

England icons past and present have come out to laud Broad following his exploits on the final day.

“Stuart Broad…a magnificent career…a great man and a wonderful person.. you did it – it was written in the stars," said Sir Ian Botham.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan said: “That’s been the best series I have had the pleasure to work on.

“Both teams deserve huge credit for the drama and entertainment across the five Tests – Test cricket is the greatest format and this series will remind everyone around the world why.”

And another former England captain, Sir Alastair Cook, said: “It had to be Stuart Broad, it just had to be.

“That’s why chasing such a big total is so hard. The crowd was right behind England, you just felt like they had that edge.”

Broad himself, meanwhile, insisted he didn't have many regrets from his time in the sport - but did lament his failure to take the new ball at Edgbaston.

"I don't have many regrets about cricket. But I shouldn't have taken the new ball at Edgbaston," he said.

"We failed to create more chances with it and it made Cummins and Lyon easy to bat on.

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"If I could turn the clock back, I would bowl with the old ball. But in the end, when you lose to a great team like Australia, you have to keep your head high."