Stuart Broad's day Out ..... Australia humbled for 60 !!

This has really been a thrilling Ashes Series.  The 1^st Test at Cardiff was won by England with a handsome margin of 169 runs.  At Lords, Aussies came back so heavily that the margin of defeat was 405 runs.  In the Third at Birmingham, England won by 8 wickets and the one at Nottingham was expected to be a challenging gripper.

England lost its quality bowler - James Anderson  being treated daily using an oxygen therapy to be fit for the fifth Ashes Test later this month. Anderson suffered a small tear in his left side while bowling in the third Test at Edgbaston last week, which ruled him out of Trent Bridge, his most successful Test venue. He has just over two weeks to recover from the injury before the start of the final Test on Aug 20.  Reports suggest that he will wear an oxygen mask for over an hour a day to help speed up the healing process along with orthodox treatments and has been undergoing light training sessions at Trent Bridge this week.

Nottinghamshire (Notts) is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire  and Derbyshire.   The  county council is based in West Bridgford in the borough of Rushcliffe, at a site facing Nottingham over the River Trent.  River Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom.

Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. The site takes its name from the nearby main bridge over the River Trent.  Trent Bridge was first used as a cricket ground in the 1830s. The first recorded cricket match was held on an area of ground behind the Trent Bridge Inn in 1838. Trent Bridge hosted its first Test match in 1899, for England playing against Australia.

At the time of posting this at 11 pm, England are in sound position of 274/4 with Joe Root unbeaten on 124.  His century has clearly been overshadowed by Stuart Broad who bowled out Aussies for 60 in Test no. 2175.   Australia 60 – yes all out - utterly bereft,  dismissed for 60 in only 18.3 overs, with cricket statisticians wading through damning numbers either achieved or narrowly avoided. Broad, carrying an onerous responsibility in the absence of James Anderson, returned his best Test figures of 8 for 15 in 9.3 new-ball overs amid scenes of general delirium. When it was all over, Anderson led the applause from the dressing room balcony.

Broad had begun the morning hoping for 300 Test wickets. He finished level with Fred Trueman's 307.   60 Australia's score in the first innings, their seventh-lowest score in Test history, and their second-lowest in the last 79 years. The only time they were bowled out for less in this period was against South Africa - 47, in Cape Town, 2011.

Among all time England bowlers – Jim Laker  10 & 9 in 1956; GA Lohmann in 1896; Daren Malcolm in 1994 against South Africa at Oval;  SF Barnes in 1913; GA Lohmann in 1896; and J Briggs in 1889 stand above Broad’s 9.3-6-15-8  achieved today.

Australia can take solace that they passed 50 – which 9 teams had failed to do earlier.  The lowest in Test Cricket is 26 by Newzealand against England at Auckland in 1955;  New Zealand at Wellington in 1946 – 42; India at Lords in 1974 – 42; New Zealand 45 against SA in 2013; England against WI at Port of Spain 1994; New Zealand against England Lords 1958 47; WI against England at Kingston 2004; Australia 47 vs SA in 2011 and Pak 49 against SA at Johannesburg in 2013.

Great bowling by Stuart Broad and grand show by England

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

6^th Aug 2015