Stuart Broad says he ‘wanted to create a bit of theatre’ at Edgbaston (Picture: Getty)
Stuart Broad was delighted to remove Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith on day four of the first Ashes Test – but admits he ‘wanted one more’.
The England bowler picked up the crucial wickets of Labuschagne and Smith to leave Australia on 107-3 – needing 174 runs to win the first Test ahead of day five.
Broad has got Labuschagne out twice for no runs in five balls in this match and the Englishman now needs two more wickets to reach 50 Test wickets at Edgbaston.
Usman Khawaja is still standing for Australia, which is a worry for England after his impressive total of 141 in the first innings.
‘I wanted one more tonight really because it was moving a nice amount,’ Broad told Sky Sports.
‘Those two scrapped really well at the end I thought. It’s a dry pitch but if you just bash away, bash away and then one might do something.
‘I didn’t go into the spell feeling like we desperately needed wickets. We all know with the new ball it is almost the best time to bat because you can actually hit it.
‘Once the ball gets a bit older it’s harder, especially off the spin, you can’t play the big shots straight.
‘Coming into that I just thought if I whack the pitch as hard as I can, get a bit of movement and create a bit of theatre…
‘That’s the thing with Ashes cricket, if you can get the crowd going and create that theatre you can make it feel like something is happening even when it’s not.
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‘Any day that you’ve got Smith, Marnus and Warner back in the hut, you’re happy.’
Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, meanwhile, told the BBC: ‘Stuart Broad has shown why he was picked for this game. He would have been first on my list to play this game because of the occasion and the moment.
‘He is so good, and he’s done it so many times, at grabbing the initiative. Those two wickets were absolutely vital when the game was drifting. He delivers the goods time and time again. I don’t know how he does it.’
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‘I wanted to create a bit of theatre!’