Broad basks in 'brilliant' day

England fast bowler Stuart Broad was delighted to render India's decision to bowl first after winning the toss largely unsuccessful on day one of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.
England fast bowler Stuart Broad was delighted to render India's decision to bowl first after winning the toss largely unsuccessful on day one of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.
Broad was at the fore of the tourists' capitulation, which slipped from eight for four – and 129 for seven – to 152 all out. He recorded remarkable figures of six for 25 – and was well complemented by fellow right-armer James Anderson's three for 46.
"It was a brilliant day and we're in an extremely strong position, but I must admit I was a little bit disappointed when we lost the toss, just on previous knowledge that Australia got 570-odd batting first here last year, I just assumed it would play like that," said Broad.
"You saw when the sun came out and the blue sky showed its face it got a bit better for batting, so I think we got lucky with the overheads, but we didn't get lucky with the skill we produced. We work very hard on that and we delivered everything we wanted to.
The hosts' response with the bat was not convincing, reaching 113 for three after the relatively early departures of captain Alastair Cook, opener Sam Robson and the left-handed Gary Ballance.
The in-form Ian Bell, however, remained firm on 45 not out. Nightwatchman Chris Jordan, meanwhile, will be eager to justify temporary promotion to fifth in the batting order.
"Overall we've had a fantastic day. Obviously losing Gary in the last over was disappointing but you'd take 39 short with seven wickets in hand. We're hoping for a decent day on Friday," added Broad.
"As I said, the overheads made a big difference today. It felt really noticeable when you were bowling in the sunshine that it didn't quite have that zip."
Latest
-
News
Darren Stevens ‘looking forward to the ‘next chapter’ as his Kent innings ends
The all-rounder will leave Kent after 17 years at the end of the season.
-
News
Darren Stevens announces his retirement at the age of 46
The all-rounder’s 17-year stint at Kent will end later this year.
-
The Hundred
Hundred history-maker Will Smeed: ‘I very much still want to play everything’
The rising star of the white-ball game could be on England’s radar.
-
The Hundred
Lauren Winfield-Hill stars as Oval Invincibles begin title defence with big win
The home side defeated the Northern Superchargers by nine wickets.
-
News
Sam Curran the main man as Oval Invincibles beat Northern Superchargers
Curran scored 60 in his side’s three-wicket win at the Kia Oval.
-
England
England opener Alex Lees keen to see aggressive approach adopted in county game
The Durham batter has used the break in Test cricket to spread the word.
-
The Hundred
‘It was awesome’ – Will Smeed ends his 90s curse to hit Hundred’s first century
The youngster had fallen short of a maiden century on multiple occasions during the first half of 2022.
-
The Hundred
Will Smeed becomes first batter to hit ton in Hundred during Birmingham win
The opener cracked an unbeaten 101 off 50 balls.
-
England
Women’s game on upward trend and schools an important target – Anya Shrubsole
The 30-year-old pace bowler was restricted to competing against boys during childhood.