Australia opener David Warner has taken to social media to poke fun at himself after Stuart Broad made a successful return to the England Test side.
After being dropped for the recent series against the West Indies, Broad returned for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand and took the new ball alongside long-time bowling partner James Anderson.
He made an immediate impact as he got Devon Conway caught at slip for just three in his fourth over back. Since 2019, Broad has proved a particularly potent threat against left-handed batters, with Warner in particular struggling when Broad bowls round the wicket.
And when Broad dismissed another left-hander in Conway, Warner reposted a graphic from the Barmy Army celebrating the wicket on his Instagram story with the caption: "Devon Conway I feel your pain".
Across his career, Broad has dismissed Warner a total of 14 times, more than any other player. During the 2019 Ashes, he got Warner out seven times in ten innings, with the batter managing just 61 runs at an average of 9.50.
Speaking ahead of the first Test against New Zealand, Broad outlined the attacking philosophy that new coach Brendon McCullum has asked his bowlers to adopt. "The forefront of the mindset is wickets," Broad said.
"It is, let's look at the opposition players and what's our best chance of taking wickets. If we turn up and the pitch is slow and slips aren't in the game, catching covers and midwickets.
"In the past it was two an over, pressure will see the batsman make a mistake. The mindset [now] is how we get the batter to make a mistake quicker: how do we apply pressure quicker?
"If we can bowl a team out in 85 overs going at 3.3 an over, compared to 120 at 2.5 ... that's a better option as it speeds the game up for our batters. I suppose it's the balance of protecting economy or risk it by going fuller.
"Yes, you might get driven but you've got more chance of taking wickets. If I go at 8 an over on Thursday, just be calm."
