Broad the 'impact' bowler
Stuart Broad won England the Ashes in one session with his second-day spell at The Oval in 2009. He did it again at Chester-le-Street
13-Aug-2013
Stuart Broad won England the Ashes in one session with his second-day spell at The Oval in 2009. He did it again at Chester-le-Street. Whatever else can, will and must be said about Broad and his demeanour, he is an impact bowler of the highest calibre, writes Malcolm Knox in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Much will be said about the psychological and technical failings of the Australian batsmen under pressure, but this was a day to admire their conqueror. Dumb Broad, Lord Broad, Broad the Fraud…the banners are being painted, and this young man with incongruously narrow shoulders will have to take a lot. But he seems the type who enjoys a stoush. He will arrive in Australia as a credible and, when needed, formidable force.
In the Guardian, Vic Marks writes that England's stunning comeback in the final session had much to do with their clever thinking and smart bowling, just when the hosts were losing their grip on the game.
Swann, at least, conjured out two left-handers but the critical wicket was that of Warner. Bresnan, replacing Swann, reverted to bowling over the wicket to Warner and the ball bounced and found the outside edge. It proved rather a good bowling change from such an apparently callow captain. Now, after another drinks interval - with no obvious messages passed on - Stuart Broad was inspired and maybe another little ploy worked. A backward short-leg to Michael Clarke hinted at a short ball straight after the interruption in play. Instead the delivery was full and lethal. Clarke's front foot never left the crease but his off stump did.
Broad may not have done much in the first three Tests, but when the occasion demanded, he rose to the challenge. Broad has the knack of snaring the Big Fish, which in this case was Michael Clarke and that makes Broad England's big game hunter, writes Scyld Berry in the Telegraph.
There is a strange feature about Broad's delivery when he embarks on one of his headlong pursuits of big game, when he has scented blood and kicks up his knees as he runs in. In defiance of the orthodox instruction to keep his leading arm high, to point the way, Broad's left arm drops away, and the faster he bowls, the earlier it falls. In these moments, when on a roll, he is guided by passion rather than limbs.
In the same paper, Jim White writes that it is the attitudes bred and developed in the limited-overs game that made the Test so compelling, especially in the final session.
This was Test cricket at its most compelling. All day the momentum rocked giddily back and forth in the manner of the over-refreshed chap dressed as the Honey Monster tottering down the steps of the temporary stand to the bar. Just as one side thought they were in the ascendant, so the rhythm altered, the plot changed and a spring was injected into the step of their rivals.
In the Independent, John Townsend meets the parents of Chris Rogers, who recall the tense moments leading to Chris' first Test century and his long journey to the Test squad.
"The crowd roared. I'm gutted, drained - I even shed a little tear. I couldn't even stand up like everyone else. I gave Ros a hug when she sat down. We were totally spent from riding every near-miss and all the appeals. "I'd wanted him to play as he had at Old Trafford, but the two innings were like chalk and cheese."