Stuart Broad battles on, but time has beaten the English cricket legend

STUART Broad ended his drought and went within a coat of pain of landing a hat-trick on Boxing Day. But it is clear that time has beaten the ageing Englishman.

England's Stuart Broad celebrates taking the wicket of Australia's Usman Khawaja during their Ashes cricket test match in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)

STUART Broad went 426 balls without a Test wicket, before finding himself a coat of paint away from being on a hat-trick.

The final verdict: Broad is a gallant warrior of Ashes cricketer, but a man who has been well and truly caught up to by Father Time.

On a wonky knee that appeared to require some sort of pep up by the England physio early on Boxing Day, Broad simply isn’t the bowler responsible for the terrorising masterclass that was Australia’s 60 all-out effort at Trent Bridge 18 months ago.

Michael Vaughan and other former England greats called for his axing for this Test. Others believe the natural pantomime villain wants to soldier on for a farewell in the 2019 Ashes series on more favourable home soil.

Broad did his best on an unforgiving deck in Melbourne.

There was enough from Broad to suggest the 31-year-old still has fire in the belly, but one wicket in more than 70 overs of bowling this series (his last wicket was in the first innings in Adelaide) doesn’t stack up particularly well.

Vaughan urged England captain Joe Root to start demanding the team he wants and take ownership of a side that so far doesn’t appear to fully respect his authority.

The former England skipper said Root’s first big decision would be whether or not to call time on Broad.

That didn’t happen in Melbourne, but the fact Root reportedly got new quick Tom Curran picked for Boxing Day indicates the fresh-faced leader — criticised of being too much like a “little boy” by Ricky Ponting last week, is beginning to take the advice on board.

LISTEN! The Daily Telegraph’s chief cricket writer Ben Horne gives his assessment of the first day’s play of the Boxing Day Ashes Test.

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Broad looks like he’ll say this series out, but Root and the England selectors will have a huge decision to make on the 31-year-old ahead of the side’s Test tour of New Zealand in February.

Out of the two warhorse fast bowlers — whose records compare to West Indian greats Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh as among the best ever for a fast bowling pair — it’s James Anderson and not Broad who looks more capable of fighting on for another Ashes.

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England simply can’t afford a scenario where both men retire at once, because the strong indication on this tour has been that there’s not enough depth in the UK system to fill the void of a double retirement.

Former Australian quick Peter Siddle said the high profile members of the England attack are battling so much they would hypothetically struggle to get a look in for a baggy green.

Could this be Broad’s final series for England?

“Our guys (are) going to be picked before some of their players,” said Broad on Fox Sports.

“I think the whole England side have lacked depth this whole series. They haven’t been seen, have they? They might turn up on Boxing Day and in Sydney when it’s all done and dusted but they’ve been lacklustre.”

For a brief moment Broad did storm into the Boxing Day Test when he got a peach of a delivery to reverse away from Usman Khawaja and claim the left-hander’s outside edge.

The very next ball Broad went up for a huge lbw shout on Shaun Marsh.

Umpires gave it not out on field and that was the only thing that saved Marsh, as ball tracker showed that the ball was clipping a tiny bit of the bails — meaning DRS deferred to umpire’s call.

That over Broad charged in at 140km/h plus, clearly faster than he’s bowled virtually all series.

Had Marsh fallen, Broad’s head of steam suggested he could have delivered England one of his famed game-breaking spells.

But it wasn’t to be, and instead the clock continued to run down on Stuart Broad.