Stuart Broad described the situation as “cricket on a knife edge” as Australia head into the final day of the first Ashes Test needing 174 runs to win, with England seeking seven more wickets to stop them.
Broad said the home side were motivated by the spirit of 2005, when England won a thriller at Edgbaston by two runs after setting their opponents a target of 282, just one more than they are chasing on this occasion. Highlights of that game were shown on television – and closely followed in the England dressing room – during a rain break on Sunday.
“You can tell this group is massively inspired and motivated by that series,” Broad said. “We were all watching that [at the time] and wanting to play Ashes cricket, and to have this series being talked about in the same sentence gives us a huge boost.”
Australia’s openers, Usman Khawaja and David Warner, calmly put on 61 runs before Warner fell to Ollie Robinson, with both Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith dismissed by Broad soon afterwards. Broad said he “loved every second of that last hour, running in hearing that roar”, though it was less well received in the other dressing room.
“It probably wasn’t our greatest 40 minutes but I’m backing our boys,” Nathan Lyon said. “I’m confident our boys can go out there and bat well but it’s set up to be a thrilling Test match, and it’s been one hell of a way to start the series.”
Broad described Australia’s target of 281 as “almost the perfect number”, which means “both teams really fancy their chances” and Australia’s optimism will lead to wicket‑taking opportunities. “On pitches like this you need a batter to be positive,” Broad said.
“If a draw was on the cards and someone decided to block every single ball I don’t think you’d get them out. You need a team to play a couple of shots to create chances.”
With the pitch offering a bit of turn the fitness of Moeen Ali could be crucial. “He’s got a bit of a gouge out of his finger but he’s doing as much as he can to heal that and deal with the pain,” Broad said.
Lyon, Australia’s spinner, said he had “a lot of sympathy” for Moeen’s plight. “The best way I can sum it up is it’s like a singer losing the vocals but expected to go out and put a concert on,” he said. “I’ve been there before and it is quite painful.”
