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The Ashes 2013: Stuart Broad takes five wickets as England edge day one The Ashes 2013-14: Stuart Broad takes five wickets as England edge day one
(35 minutes later)
Stuart Broad's actions spoke loudest as he answered the boos of the Gabba crowd with five wickets to give England the advantage on day one of the Ashes. Judging purely on their output, it seems unlikely that those who dream up the narky wheezes that characterise Brisbane's Courier-Mail newspaper are familiar with the phrase 'hostage to fortune'. But when, as a last throw of the pre-Test dice, they decided to lampoon Stuart Broad by urging the Australian crowd to ignore "the smug Pommy cheat" while themselves committing to referring to him only as "a 27-year-old English medium pace bowler", they left themselves open to even more ridicule when it comes to reporting the opening day of the series.
Broad is the Englishman Australians are encouraged here to hate, after his at times controversial role in last summer's 3-0 Ashes victory, and he duly gave them five more reasons to do so. For this was not just England's day, it belonged to Broad. In the furnace heat of the Gabba, on one of the best batting surfaces any of the old stagers around the place could remember here, he took the first four wickets to fall as the Australian batsmen, with a heady mixture of nerves and incompetence, surrendered their wickets.
He was the driving force as the hosts were reduced to 132 for six by mid-afternoon - before Brad Haddin (78no) and Mitchell Johnson (64) redressed the balance in a much-needed century stand on the way to a stumps total of 273 -8, which was still below par after Australia had chosen to bat in sunny conditions. Later, towards evening, and armed with the second new ball, he returned to bowl Mitchell Johnson through the gate for a fifth wicket, just at a time when he and the combative keeper Brad Haddin were pulling their side back into the match with a century stand for the seventh wicket. As his team celebrated, Broad raised the ball aloft in the manner introduced by Glenn McGrath, and for the most part received plaudits rather than boos and catcalls. Respect is hard-won in these parts, but he had gone a long way towards earning it with a stirring performance.
Predictably booed when announced to bowl the second over after a James Anderson maiden, Broad took the first wicket of the series with just 12 runs on the board. With Jimmy Anderson, worthy as ever not to say unlucky, and Chris Tremlett, hulking but little more than medium-fast, chipping in with a further wicket apiece during a dominant middle session for England, Australia, at one time had sunk to 132 for six and were facing embarrassment in what is regarded as their citadel. A second wicket for Anderson towards the close meant that Broad was able to lead the team from the field with the scoreboard reading 273 for eight, and his bowling figures showing as five for 65.
David Warner and Shane Watson appeared to settle home nerves with a half-century stand, only for Broad to strike again either side of lunch with the next three to fall – including the prize of home captain Michael Clarke for just a single. Only in the final session, when the ball had softened and the earlier bounce had been dampened, did Haddin and Johnson look like hauling Australia back into the match. Three years ago, Haddin made 136 here against England to place his side in a dominant position from which by any right they should have gone on to win the match. His sixth wicket stand of 307 with Mike Hussey first digging his side out of a hole and then pressing home an advantage gained by his own bowlers on the opening day.
Broad (5-65) began his Ashes by dropping short a no-ball which Warner pulled for four, the first delivery he faced – much to the delight of the home support. This time, with careful defence and some judicious strokes-batting that put to shame that of the top order, he saw off the bowling: first Broad, then Anderson and Tremlett, and all the while ticking over against Graeme Swann, who booked in at the Stanley Street end and wheeled away without success for much of the afternoon.
With only his seventh legitimate delivery, though, Broad struck. Haddin finished the day unbeaten on 78, with seven fours and a six. Until Broad nailed him with an inswinger, Johnson had played an admirable foil for almost two-and-a-half hours, making 64, keeping out the seamers well enough, and lingering on the back foot against Swann to give himself width to try and force him away through the offside.
On a pitch providing plenty of bounce, but no evident sideways movement, he had Chris Rogers splicing a simple catch to gully to depart for just a single. If Swann chose to give one a little more air, or pushed one a smidgeon further up, he lofted the ball down the ground with a free swing of the bat, twice clearing the rope. Even Broad with the new ball was pummelled precisely through extra cover. In form, he is a pleasingly elegant batsman to watch.
In the same over, number three Watson was under way off Broad with an unconvincing poke for three just over the head of Michael Carberry at point. The morning session had all but gone to Australia until the final minutes, for although Chris Rogers had been caught in the gully from the splice early on to give Broad his first wicket, David Warner, bristling with bad intentions towards the visitors, and Shane Watson, playing straight rather than crookedly, with the sort of determination that might have served him well last summer, had threatened to lay the foundations of the sort of score the pitch demanded from the side winning the toss and batting first.
Broad's next over then started with a ramp shot by Warner high over the slips which bounced only a few yards inside the rope at a fine third-man. Instead, the complexion of the match changed in 20 overs either side of lunch when five wickets fell for 61 runs. Watson began the collapse by hanging his bat out tamely to be caught at second slip, and then, immediately after the interval, Michael Clarke, not for the first time, found Broad's aggression and bounce too much and was taken at short leg. When Warner then slapped Broad crookedly to extra cover, Australia were already in considerable trouble. George Bailey, nibbled nervously on his debut and was taken at slip, and then Steve Smith, as with Watson, hung his bat limply and edged to first slip.
Anderson had a less hectic but impressive initial spell, four overs at the cost of just seven runs before being replaced by Chris Tremlett at the Vulture Street end. It is a measure of how well the pitch actually played that it was not until the 61st over that a delivery beat the bat comprehensively. So England earned their rewards by constant patient application of pressure, just as they did on the last tour here, and by excellent fielding, that with the single exception of a misfield by Joe Root which conceded four runs – much to the chagrin of the bowler, Swann – was flawless. These are the days of which teams dream during their preparations, one of England's best starts abroad in a decade.
Australia were set to close out the morning until Watson pushed out on the back foot at Broad and was well caught by Graeme Swann, diving away to his right at second slip.
Clarke kept out the remainder of the over. But to the very first short ball from Broad after lunch, he could not get out of the way and gloved a simple catch to short-leg.
Warner undid his good work, one short of his 50, when he mistimed an attempted back-foot force off Broad straight to cover to complete a damaging sequence of three wickets for 12 runs.
It was an especially tame end to a spirited innings from the combative opener – and although debutant George Bailey then began confidently with an on-drive off Broad for three first ball, he made no more runs from another 14 before edging the deserving Anderson low to first slip in back-foot defence.
Steve Smith and Haddin added 32, before the former succumbed to Tremlett – playing on the back foot at one he perhaps did not need to, and edging low to Alastair Cook at slip.
Broad returned again, to more obligatory boos – hitting Haddin on the helmet with one short ball – but Johnson brought up the 150 just before tea with a six from the crease over long on off Swann.
Australia's seventh-wicket partnership shed fresh light both on the failures of those above them, and England's potential vulnerability with the old ball in this series.
There was to be no reverse-swing, thanks to a lush outfield – and virgin square – and there was little help for Swann either.
Tremlett was deployed in a holding role, but the lack of his old pace must be a concern for the tourists.
Haddin and Johnson made the most of those factors, taking 100 and 115 balls respectively over their half-centuries with nine fours and three sixes between them.
England were holding out for the second new ball by then, and Broad did the trick with it when he swung one back to bowl Johnson as the left-hander looked to attack again.
It was a low point of the day, though, that – as Broad held the ball up to the crowd to mark his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests – the boos rang out again.
Ashes 'banter' aside, that incongruous noise did no one any credit on a day which ended with more English smiles when Cook took his third slip catch as Peter Siddle fell to Anderson.
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