Born 29 September 1957, in Knowle, Bristol to parents Ken and Nancy, Broad suffered from osteomyelitis at the age of 15, which delayed his development as a cricketer. His first-class debut came for Gloucestershire in 1979 and he secured a permanent place in the team the following summer. As well as Nottinghamshire, he also played for Orange Free State. Returning to Gloucestershire in 1993, Broad retired at the end of the 1994 season with a hip injury. He is a past student of St Paul's College, Cheltenham.

Broad made his Test debut for England in 1984, in the second Test match against the West Indies at Lord's. Opening the batting with Graeme Fowler, Broad scored 55 in an opening partnership of 101 runs. Fowler went on to score 106 runs; however, England were bowled out for 286. The West Indies reached 245 in response. England's second innings began poorly, Broad being dismissed for a duck having faced only nine balls, and the West Indies reached the 342 run target set for them thanks to 214* from Gordon Greenidge. Broad therefore averaged 27.50 in his debut Test match.

Broad opened in the next Test match against the West Indies at Headingley, Yorkshire beginning on 12 July 1984, scoring 32 and two. He scored 42 and 21 in the next Test, and four and 39 in the final Test of the series, ending his first series with 195 runs at 24.37. Broad then played one Test match against Sri Lanka, scoring his highest score thus far, 86 in a drawn Test match. Broad did not play for England again until 14 November 1986 during the 1986 Ashes series. He began quietly with eight and 35*, however in the second Test at Perth he scored 162 and 16. He then scored 116 and 15* at Adelaide, 112 at Melbourne and six and 17 in Sydney. He ended this Ashes tour with 487 runs and three centuries from nine innings. He scored centuries in three consecutive matches, only the eighth Englishman at the time to have achieved this feat (five more have achieved it subsequently).

At this time Broad made his One Day International debut in 1986, against Australia in Perth, Western Australia where he scored 76 and England won by 37 runs.

In his only tour of Pakistan in 1987. Broad was severely reprimanded by the tour manager after refusing to walk when given out caught behind in the second innings of the Lahore Test match. Broad had stood his ground and almost a minute elapsed before Gooch persuaded him to go. The game was marred by numerous allegations of unfair