Stuart Broad bemoaned a “soulless” pitch and his own struggles with the front line after a fine unbeaten century from Australia’s Usman Khawaja left the first Ashes Test of the summer delicately poised.
Broad thought he had cleaned up the opener on 112 during the final session of day two only to discover he had overstepped by a whisker. With Khawaja reaching the close on 126 not out – Australia 311 for five and trailing by 82 runs – the 36-year-old admitted to his annoyance.
“It was a great ball and it’s very hard to put it at the back of your mind,” said Broad, reflecting on a day that saw him claim two for 49 but also no-balled six times. “Ultimately, it’s really frustrating.
“I’ve probably bowled more [no balls] today than I have in a Test match before and I think there’s a couple of reasons for that. The first day in the field in the Ashes, the emotions are high, you are charging in. The outfield was a little bit spongy, so you are trying to gain from the outfield. You are probably striving a little bit.
“It was a close call, but it’s still a no ball. You can’t do anything about it now and you just have to find your rhythm and keep hitting the pitch hard.”
Broad had lit up the morning session, finding himself on a hat-trick in the seventh over of the day when he removed David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne in the space of two balls. Steve Smith survived the hat-trick ball, Broad straying down leg as he tried to produce a magic delivery.
While that trademark burst with the crowd behind him gave Broad “feelings that will live with me forever”, he was less than impressed with an Edgbaston surface that has offered scant lateral movement for the seamers and not seen a single catch go to the slip cordon off them during the first two days.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he added: “It is a very slow, low surface that saps the energy out of the ball. It is pretty characterless so far, pretty soulless, but you can only judge a surface towards the end of the match and see how it develops.
“It is certainly one of the slowest pitches I can remember bowling on in England. It has been hard work for the seamers and ultimately we are looking to entertain, have fun and get the crowd jumping and it is quite a difficult pitch to get play-and-misses on and nicks to slip. So hopefully it is not a trend for the whole series.”
For Khawaja, who believed his Test career was over when dropped during the 2019 Ashes, this was a golden day. Asked about the celebration upon reaching three figures for the first time in England – a toss of the bat and an outpouring of emotion – he replied: “I don’t know why the bat throw happened but it happened. That was me.
“I think it was a combination of three Ashes tours in England and being dropped in two of them.
“I don’t read the media but when I’m getting sprayed by the crowd as I’m walking out there today, and as I’m going to nets, that I can’t score runs in England, I guess it was just a bit more emotional than normal.
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“I think I’m just way more comfortable nowadays. When I was younger, I was a bit worried about what things may look like, what things may happen. Now, what you see is what you get. This is Usman. And I don’t try to hide it.
“I’m not perfect, I make mistakes, I do everything. But I’m happy to be out there and show everyone the real me. They respect me more and I enjoy it more.”
