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'A bit brutal': Stuart Broad's savage dig at England teammates

andrew reid
·3-min read
Pictured here, England quick Stuart Broad gestures to a teammate in the fourth Ashes Test at the SCG.
England quick Stuart Broad gave his batter's a brutal wake-up call after day two of the fourth Ashes Test. Pic: Getty

England fast bowler Stuart Broad has dealt his under-fire teammates a brutal reality check after marking his Ashes return with a five-wicket haul.

Broad snared five wickets on day two at the at the SCG on Thursday, before Australia declared at 8-416.

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England's openers survived a stern examination without loss of wicket before stumps, with Zak Crawley given an almighty reprieve after being caught by David Warner in slips off a Mitchell Starc no ball.

Broad was delighted to return with a bang after being overlooked for the Boxing Day Test, with he and James Anderson left out of the first Test at the Gabba.

Speaking after play on day two, Broad reiterated how keen to play the first Test but delivered a sobering assessment of his side's batsmen.

With the tourists set to resume at 0-13 on Friday, Broad said his side's first-innings totals of 147, 236 and 185 in this series were simply not good enough.

"It doesn't matter what bowlers you play, if you get bowled out for 140," Broad said.

"Might be a bit brutal, but that's the truth in Test cricket.

"You can dissect loads on this trip, but actually first-innings runs is where you live in Test cricket and we've failed to deliver that.

Stuart Broad calls for focus on present, not future

Broad also warned against focusing on future series, rather than the task at hand, as speculation swirls about under-pressure coach Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root.

"Can we get back to the real basics of what's ahead of us right now? How are we winning this next Test match," he said.

"Can we have an impact in Sydney and Hobart?

"Can we win the next opportunity that's in front of us? That should be a real focus.

"Because it's all well and good planning for Ashes and planning for the next away Ashes, the world Test championship.

"But if you don't win the battle in front of you, it's all irrelevant."

Seen here, Usman Khawaja salutes the SCG crowd after making a century in the fourth Ashes Test.
With one innings, Aussie batter Usman Khawaja has more runs this series than all but two of England's Ashes flops. Pic: Getty

Broad noted Usman Khawaja, who celebrated his Test recall with a patient century, had given England's top order the template on a pitch with "a little bit of uneven bounce with a brand new ball".

Khawaja has scored more centuries on this tour than England's entire squad, while he already has more runs than every English batter outside of Root and Dawid Malan.

After two-and-a-half years in the Test wilderness, Khawaja completed his fairytale return by top-scoring for the Aussies with a classy 137 to set up the hosts' imposing first innings total.

with AAP

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