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Cricket stars Matt Prior and Stuart Broad saved a British man from jumping to his death from a Sydney bridge, it was revealed today.

The England pair were involved in the dramatic late night rescue as they walked back to their hotel from a charity function.

Wicketkeeper Prior spotted the man teetering on the ledge of the Pyrmont Bridge in Darling Harbour and grabbed him as he was about to jump.

He and Broad then spent an hour chatting to him on the bridge to calm him down until police arrived.

Prior was walking past when he noticed the young man had taken off his shoes and had thrown his phone, wallet and passport into the water.

The cricketer, who had been to a Barmy Army charity function with Stuart Broad in the early hours of Wednesday morning, approached him with England security officer Terry Minish.

They struck up a conversation when suddenly the man, who was acting erratically, made a motion as if to jump.

Prior and Minish grabbed him and managed to wrestle him back to the safety of the walkway on the bridge.

He is not thought to have recognised the cricketers.

Prior told the Telegraph: “We just did what anybody would do in that situation.

“We were trying to help a bloke who was struggling and in a bad way. I look back and I’m just glad we left the bar when we did and we were there for him.”

England bowler Broad later tweeted: “@MattPrior13 is a best friend of mine and I'm very proud of him. It was a tough situation but so glad he was there.”

The players believe the unnamed man was British and he told them he came from Cheltenham.

Initially the players thought he was standing on the railings of the bridge for a dare before realising the seriousness of the situation.

Mr Minish said: “Walking back to the hotel we spotted a young man on the edge of the bridge about to jump.

“He was saying he just wanted to drown. Matt helped to pull him down off the edge of the bridge and sat with him until the police arrived. It all happened very quickly and we acted on impulse. It is what you do in these situations.”

The three men were returning from a Barmy Army event on Tuesday night raising funds for the Broad Appeal, a charity raising money and awareness to combat Motor Neurone Disease.

Prior was returning home to the UK today after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash while Broad is staying on to captain the England side for three Twenty20 matches against Australia.

New South Wales police declined to comment.