Former England cricket star Stuart Broad was left red-faced when he turned up to the iconic ground and was refused entry as his first day in a new job got off to a bad start
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s
07:00, 20 Nov 2025
Broad was left red-faced after being refused entry to Lord’s
Stuart Broad was embarrassed at The Ashes in 2023 after he was barred from entering Lord’s to begin his first day as a cricket pundit. The former England icon will be watching on from the sidelines during this year’s series as his country aim for a first Ashes win since 2015.
While the famous event is returning Down Under for 2025, Broad may well be reminded of the time he ended up making one huge mistake on his first day as a broadcaster on these shores. The 39-year-old retired from cricket during the 2023 Ashes on the third day of the fifth Test and dived into punditry not long after.
Ahead of The Hundred clash between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles that year, Broad arrived at Lord’s ready to appear on Sky Sports. However, despite having accreditation for the game, the ex-England star tried to use his player pass to enter the ground and was promptly refused as it had already been deactivated.
While he was eventually let in, Broad’s day was further delayed by rain before the action finally got under way. The former cricketer admitted at the time of his retirement that seeing what he meant to sports fans affected him emotionally.
At the time, he told the Daily Mail: “I woke up and saw a clip of headband-wearing fans in the crowd celebrating a wicket, and I was like, ‘Wow.’
Broad ended up looking sheepish on his first Sky Sports appearance as a pundit(Image: Alex Davidson – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)
THE ASHES! Get your special in-depth preview as England and Australia renew epic rivalry
“I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve but it was seeing what it meant to other people that got me.”
Now, Broad will watch on with bated breath as England aim for some long-awaited success over Australia in The Ashes series. The former cricket star believes Australia are as “weak” as they have been since 2010 but still thinks they will be heavy favourites
The 39-year-old will fondly remember that year as it was the last time England won on foreign soil in The Ashes. Broad was part of the team that won 3-1 to retain the title and the last squad to do so since.
Stuart Broad retired from cricket in 2023(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, Broad said: “It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an England side, or any side – it just is.
“Australia have to be massive favourites. The question really was ‘Which team’s under the most pressure?’ Well, Australia are under the most pressure because they’re expected to win. They’re brilliant at home.
“But they’ve got question marks over their team and question marks over [the fitness of] captain [Pat Cummins].”
He added: “You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won, and it’s the best English team since 2010. So those things match up to the fact it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series.”
Watch the Ashes live on TNT Sports
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£30.99
TNT Sports
Get TNT Sports here
The Ashes gets underway on November 21 and all the action in the battle between England and Australia will be broadcast live on TNT Sports. Fans can tune in via discovery+ or Prime Video’s TNT Sports channel.
