Chris Broad (cricketer)
A gritty, left-handed opening batsman whose defiant century in Melbourne became a symbol of English resistance during a turbulent Ashes tour.
Born 1957 (age 69)·English cricketer·Birthday: September 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Chris Broad carved his name into Ashes folklore not with consistent run-making, but with one monumental act of defiance. A tall, strong left-hander from Gloucestershire, he was a late bloomer who made his Test debut at 26. His early career was marked by solid county performances, but it was the 1986-87 tour of Australia that defined him. With England's cricket reputation in tatters, Broad stood firm. In the pivotal Perth Test, he scored a century. Then, in Melbourne, with the Ashes on the line, he produced a career-defining 112, batting for over seven hours to secure the famous urn. That tour, where he topped the batting averages, was his peak. He later became a respected match referee, a role where his stern, uncompromising demeanor found a new outlet. As an official, he oversaw hundreds of international matches, his imposing frame and no-nonsense approach making him a formidable presence on the world stage long after he put his bat away.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Chris was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored three consecutive Test centuries during the 1986-87 Ashes series, a key factor in England's series victory.
- His 162 in the 1986-87 Perth Test was then the highest score by an English opener in Australia for 50 years.
- Part of the England squad that finished as runners-up in the 1987 Cricket World Cup.
- Played 25 Test matches for England, scoring 1,661 runs at an average of 39.54.
- Served as an ICC elite panel match referee for over a decade, officiating in numerous World Cups and Ashes series.
Did You Know?
He is the father of current England Test cricketer Stuart Broad.
As a match referee, he famously suspended Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh for three ODIs in 2008 for allegedly making a racist remark.
He was dismissed for 99 in a Test match against Pakistan at Headingley in 1987.
Before his cricket career took off, he worked as a policeman in Bristol.
He once hit a six off the first ball he faced in a Test match, against the West Indies in 1984.
“I walked out to bat with England's pride on my shoulders.”
