After Usman Khawaja’s undefeated century brought Australia back into the competition and put the first Ashes test in a precarious position, Stuart Broad criticized the Edgbaston surface as “soulless” and characterized it as one of the slowest he has experienced in England. This was after Usman Khawaja’s century dragged Australia back into the competition.
The morning session was lit up by Broad, who dismissed David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne in successive balls. However, Broad struggled with the rest of the speed attack on Saturday as England was penalised for their blunders while Australia piled up the runs.
Broad delivered the ball that bowled Khawaja at number 112, but replays indicated that the seamer had overstepped. It was one of England’s 13 no-balls; Broad was responsible for six of them, while Jonny Bairstow failed to take advantage of two opportunities behind the stumps.
“How can I behave more courteously? According to Broad, “it’s a very slow, low surface that saps the ball’s energy because the ball can’t get any speed.” “So far, it doesn’t seem to have much personality or spirit, but you can’t really assess a surface until the game is over and you’ve had a chance to see how it evolves.
“It’s quite difficult to deal with. To be honest, I’m not much of a no-ball bowler. Today was probably the first time I’ve ever bowled more no-balls in a test match than I did today.
Although Ben Stokes, the captain of the team, had requested “flat, fast wickets” for the series, the surface at Edgbaston has been on the slower side for the opening two days.
Broad expressed his hope that this would not become a pattern over the rest of the series. “It’s without a doubt one of the slowest pitches I can recall bowling on in England,” said the bowler.
“It’s quite a difficult pitch to get plays-and-misses on and nicks to slip on,” the commentator said, “and it’s been hard work for the seamers.” “Ultimately, we are looking to entertain, have fun, and get the crowd jumping,” the commentator said.
But Broad is certain that England will continue to be in a great position even though Australia will open their innings on Sunday at 311-5, behind England by 82 runs.
“We had a really good day,” Broad said in his interview with the BBC. “The game is quite close right now. We are now up by 82 runs, with one or two wickets to go before the end.”
“It’s been a long, challenging day on a pitch that’s offered very little so far, but being in this position is a really positive place to be,” said the player. “It’s been a really positive place to be.”