Stu beauty! Broad takes five as England make perfect start to Ashes
STUART BROAD silenced the Gabba boo boys with five wickets to give England the advantage on day one of the Ashes.
And
he irked the home fans even more by becoming the driving force as the
hosts were reduced to 132 for six by mid-afternoon - before Brad Haddin
(78no) and Mitchell Johnson (64) redressed the balance in a much-needed
century stand.
The Aussies battled their way to 273 for eight at
stumps. which was still below par after Australia had chosen to bat in
sunny conditions.
Predictably booed when announced to bowl the
second over after a James Anderson maiden, Broad took the first wicket
of the series with just 12 runs on the board.
David Warner and
Shane Watson appeared to settle home nerves with a half-century stand,
only for Broad to strike again either side of lunch with the next three
to fall - including the prize of home captain Michael Clarke for just a
single.
Broad (five for 65) began his Ashes by dropping short a
no-ball which Warner pulled for four, the first delivery he faced - much
to the delight of the home support.
On
a pitch providing plenty of bounce, but no evident sideways movement,
he had Chris Rogers splicing a simple catch to gully to depart for just a
single.
In the same over, number three Watson was under way off
Broad with an unconvincing poke for three just over the head of Michael
Carberry at point.
Broad's next over then started with a ramp shot
by Warner high over the slips which bounced only a few yards inside the
rope at a fine third-man.
Anderson had a less hectic but impressive
initial spell, four overs at the cost of just seven runs before being
replaced by Chris Tremlett at the Vulture Street end.
Australia
were set to close out the morning until Watson pushed out on the back
foot at Broad and was very well-caught by Graeme Swann, diving away to
his right at second slip.
Clarke kept out the remainder of the
over. But to the very first short ball from Broad after lunch, he could
not get out of the way and gloved a simple catch to short-leg.
Warner undid his good work, one short of his 50, when he mistimed an
attempted back-foot force off Broad straight to cover to complete a
damaging sequence of three wickets for 12 runs.
It was an
especially tame end to a spirited innings from the combative opener -
and although debutant George Bailey then began confidently with an
on-drive off Broad for three first ball, he made no more runs from
another 14 before edging the deserving Anderson low to first slip in
back-foot defence.
Steve Smith and Haddin added 32, before the
former succumbed to Tremlett - playing on the back foot at one he
perhaps did not need to, and edging low to Alastair Cook at slip.
Broad
returned again, to more obligatory boos - hitting Haddin on the helmet
with one short ball - but Johnson brought up the 150 just before tea
with a six from the crease over long on off Swann.
Australia's
seventh-wicket partnership shed fresh light both on the failures of
those above them, and England's potential vulnerability with the old
ball in this series.
There was to be no reverse-swing, thanks to a
lush outfield - and virgin square - and there was little if any help
for Swann either.
Tremlett was deployed in a holding role, but the lack of his old pace must be a concern for the tourists.
Haddin
and Johnson made the most of those factors, taking 100 and 115 balls
respectively over their half-centuries with nine fours and three sixes
between them.
England were holding out for the second new ball by
then, and Broad did the trick with it when he swung one back to bowl
Johnson as the left-hander looked to attack again.
It was a low
point of the day, though, that - as Broad held the ball up to the crowd
to mark his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests - the boos rang out again.
The day ended with more English smiles when Cook took his third slip catch as Peter Siddle fell to Anderson.
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