Ashes cricket 2023: Australia v England fourth Test scorecard, day two coverage
Australia needs predicted Manchester rain to salvage anything from the fourth Test after a day in which England’s batsmen dominated.
Rain shapes as Australia’s best hope of securing an Ashes-clinching draw after a disastrous second day at Old Trafford.
Having bowled the Aussies out for 317, England was 4-384 at stumps, with forecast wet weather on the weekend a potential saving grace for the tourists.
Here are the key talking points:
STARC CONCERN
Australia’s day was already a horror show when Mitchell Starc writhed after landing awkwardly on his left shoulder diving in the field deep into the final session. After being assessed by team physio Nick Jones, Starc left the field, returning shortly afterwards and then departed again. The paceman had been clutching at his left hamstring intermittently during the day.
ZAK ATTACK
Zak Crawley posted his maiden Ashes century, and it was classic Crawley, full of beautiful drives through the off-side but also not short of a few nervous moments. The closest shave came on 42 when the opener got an inside edge to one from Pat Cummins. It was an extremely tough chance, albeit a lunging Alex Carey got some glove to it. But this was a corker of an innings, with Crawley forcing Cummins into a 7-2 field and then piercing the gaps. In the course of his knock, Crawley moved his Test average over 30. When he finally chopped onto one from Cameron Green for 189, Crawley quite rightly received congratulatory handshakes from a group of the Aussies.
CAPTAIN GRASS
It was a tough day for Cummins, particularly in the middle session in which England amassed 178 for the loss of just one wicket. Not only was he on the back foot tactically, but he was also battling in his capacity as a fielder. Moeen Ali spooned a chance to the mid-on region where Cummins was stationed, but the Aussie skipper seemed to lose the ball in the air, allowing England’s No. 3 to pass 50. Then with Moeen on 53, Cummins spilt one at midwicket off Josh Hazlewood. Fortunately for Cummins, Usman Khawaja took a sharp grab the following over to limit the damage. But Cummins kept copping it with the ball too. And Moeen’s 54 was the highest score from any first drop so far this series.
NO WORRIES
The Aussies kept overstepping. Cummins and Mitch Marsh sent down four each with two to Hazlewood and one to Starc. Cummins’ fourth came just as he was about to review a declined lbw appeal against Joe Root. Umpire Nitin Menon’s arm was outstretched a fraction of a second before the Aussie captain made the T gesture that would have sent the not out call upstairs.
WHAT ABOUT ME?
Marsh removed Crawley in Leeds and yet for a while, it was as though Cummins forgot all about him. Crawley belted the Aussies, racing to a 93-ball century, and still, Marsh went untried, only entering the attack late in the second session.
ROOT PLANTED
Joe Root came to the middle with England already in a strong position, and the former captain took full toll. Playing with impunity, Root reverse-scooped Marsh for six as England took control of the match before repeating the dose off Cummins after tea to pass 50. Root played sublimely before out of nowhere a ball from Hazlewood kept incredibly low to bowl him for 84.
Not much Root could do about that!#ENGvAUS | #Ashespic.twitter.com/LBsRGodKa1
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 20, 2023
ENGLAND MADE TO WAIT
The hosts thought they had wrapped up Australia for an even 300 when Hazlewood edged Chris Woakes in the second over of the day. However with Starc already halfway up the stairs getting prepared to bowl, Hazlewood got a reprieve with replays showing that Woakes had overstepped. It allowed the Aussies to eke their way to 317, and perhaps just as importantly prolong England’s wait to bat for almost half an hour, potentially critical with heavy rain forecast for the weekend.
RECAP ALL THE ACTION FROM DAY TWO HERE
3.30AM: STUMPS, ENGLAND 4-384, LEAD BY 67
Remember when Australia was 2-0 and making a mockery of Bazball?
That feels like a lifetime ago now.
England absolutely dominated the second day in Manchester, leaving the series evenly-poised as Ben Stokes’ side attempt to level the Ashes at 2-2.
And it could get even worse for Australia if Mitch Starc’s shoulder problem is serious.
The left-arm quick hurt himself diving in the field late in the day and had to leave the field to be assessed.
England is in pole position to post a huge first-innings lead and will then attempt to find enough time to bowl Australia out around predicted rain on days four and five.
Australia should have known it was in for a torrid day when James Anderson removed Pat Cummins first ball, the start of a forgettable afternoon for the Aussie skipper.
With former players questioning his field placements, Cummins put down a simple chance to remove Moeen Ali — only for Usman Khawaja to spare his blushes in the next over.
But that was only the start of Australia’s pain as Zak Crawley (189) and Joe Root (84) piled on a partnership which ended any hopes the visitors had of winning the fourth Test.
With England already leading on first innings and wickets at a premium, the best result now for Australia appears a rain-affected draw, retaining the Ashes and taking a 2-1 advantage to The Oval.
3.07AM: STARC BACK ON FIELD
Breathe a sigh of relief Aussie fans, Mitch Starc is back out there.
It looks like he can’t throw though. And once again, he’s off.
3AM: STARC IN AGONY WITH SHOULDER ISSUE
Just when you thought the day couldn’t get worse for Australia, Mitch Starc has hurt his left shoulder.
Starc, the best-performed of Australia’s bowlers in the first innings, has left the field for assessment after diving for a ball and landing heavily on his shoulder.
The left-arm quick appeared to be troubled by a hamstring issue earlier in the day but had stayed on the field until this latest incident.
2.42AM: ROOT BOWLED BY HAZLEWOOD
That has rolled.
Josh Hazlewood got one to keep low last over, but not that low.
Joe Root was no chance with that delivery and won’t get to cap a fine innings with a century today.
He’s out for 84 from 95 balls and Ben Stokes joins Harry Brook.
As much as Australia would have enjoyed that wicket, I’m not sure all the batters would have liked seeing the Old Trafford wicket playing tricks on day two.
“The method in which it happened would be slightly concerning for the Australian dressing room,” says Callum Ferguson on 9.
“That ball stayed significantly lower than it should have in usual circumstances.
“So the wicket is starting to show some wear and a little bit of uneven bounce. Hopefully, Australia can take some quick wickets and get batting before it gets too bad.”
England should declare now if the pitch is behaving like that 😂😂😯😯😯 #TheAshes
— David Hickman (@DavidHickman87) July 20, 2023
2.18AM: CRAWLEY DRAGS ON, ENGLAND 3-336
Cameron Green gets the breakthrough for Australia with Crawley gone for 189 from 182 balls.
Green is bowling from around the wicket and Crawley drags onto his stumps.
Old Trafford rises to applaud a superb Ashes knock.
England leads by 19 runs and Harry Brook will now join Joe Root.
Which likely means more fireworks …
“In all honesty, this partnership has been defining of the Test match so far,” says Callum Ferguson on Channel 9.
Crawley and Root put on 206 for the third wicket.
2.05AM: ENGLAND LEADS AFTER RECORD 50-OVER SCORE
You can hardly look away — even though the Australians probably want to.
This has been glorious batting from England and now it’s just about how big the first-innings lead will be.
The home side has the lead, passing Australia’s total of 317 with eight wickets in hand.
Ominous is an understatement.
With 174*, Zak Crawley now has more runs in this innings than David Warner (173) has in the series.#BBCCricket#Ashes
— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) July 20, 2023
Devastating batting. 🚀#BBCCricket#Ashespic.twitter.com/CnEYmN0bKd
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 20, 2023
1.30AM: 150 UP FOR CRAWLEY
The onslaught continues for England and Zak Crawley has gone past 150.
As I type, he’s 153 from 153 balls and showing no signs of slowing down.
He gave Australia plenty of chances early but to be fair, has hardly given one since passing 100.
It’s the fastest 150 ever scored at Old Trafford in a Test match too.
“Brilliant partnership as well. 146 in just 129 deliveries, Crawley and Root. Serious problems for Australia,” says Nasser Hussain in commentary.
Not long after, Crawley overtakes Usman Khawaja (359) as the leading run scorer in this series.
Zak Crawley now averages 97.50 against Pat Cummins in Test cricket. Only two men (Ben Stokes and Joe Root) have scored more runs against the Aussie skipper than England's opener, but their averages - 40.80 and 23.09 respectively - do not compare to Crawley's. #Ashes
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) July 20, 2023
1.20AM: FIFTY FOR JOE ROOT
Joe Root now has 59 Test fifties after pulling out the reverse ramp off Pat Cummins to reach his milestone.
The run rate has not been as frenetic since tea but Australia hasn’t looked like taking a wicket either.
The best chance appeared to be an lbw shout against Root, but then it turned out Cummins had overstepped and Root had hit the ball.
It’s been one of those days for Australia.
1.01AM: ROOT NOT OUT ON UMPIRE REVIEW
Pat Cummins and the Australians were convinced they had made a perfect start to the session, but Joe Root has missed that by a long way.
It was caught behind the wicket, but Nitin Menon asked for a check on whether it was a fair catch or not which revealed Root didn’t hit the ball.
“Very bizarre start,” says Dinesh Karthik in commentary.
1AM: BAZBALL HAS ROCKED US — TAYLOR
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor has conceded the Aussies were “rocked” by Bazball in the second session of day two in Manchester.
Aussie fans spent much of the two-hour session questioning field placements and bowling changes as Zak Crawley and Joe Root piled on a triple-figure partnership.
Taylor said this was the first time Australia had looked vulnerable to England’s brutal attack.
“I think it is the first time that the Baz ball has rocked us in that session. We got very predictable,” he said.
Former England batter Mark Butcher says Australia was “found wanting”.
England will resume at 2-239, needing only 78 runs to reach Australia’s total of 317.
If it continues at seven runs an over, England will have a lead inside 12 overs.
Now there’s a scary thought for the Aussies.
Special innings .. Zac Crawley has just produced one of the most entertaining Ashes tons .. #Ashes ðŸ‘ðŸ‘
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 20, 2023
12.40AM: 100 PARTNERSHIP FOR ROOT-CRAWLEY, ENGLAND 2-239 AT TEA
Zak Crawley has hammered more than 100 runs this session and his 100 partnership with Joe Root is also up.
It wasn’t that long ago I was typing about the deficit being 100 runs and already it’s down to 80.
Mike Atherton says: “If England continue at a rate, they will be well in advance of Australia by this evening.”
At the moment, it’s hard to see how Australia stops them.
England put on 178 runs in 25 overs during that session at a run rate of 7.12.
12.30AM: THE REVERSE LAP IS OUT
Already going at better than a run a ball, Joe Root has rubbed salt into the wounds by reversing Mitch Marsh for six.
That shot put England within 100 runs of Australia’s first innings total of 217.
Maybe it’s just that I need some more coffee, but I’m getting the very real sense that an innings loss could be on the cards unless something changes quickly for Australia.
Mike Atherton says: “Tea will come at a good time for them because they just been put to the sword this afternoon. England’s run rate in the afternoon session has been incredible.”
12.05AM: CRAWLEY CENTURY
He’s rode his luck, sure, but that’s a great hundred by Zak Crawley and one that has completely flipped the momentum in this series.
Australia looks completely bereft of ideas and the short-ball plan to Joe Root just isn’t working either.
Crawley’s second fifty came off 26 balls.
Our man in Manchester Daniel Cherny makes a good point though — why has Pat Cummins waited this long to get Mitch Marsh on when he got Crawley twice in the last Test?
Creeepyyyy !!! Could not be happier for you brother â¤ï¸â¤ï¸ðŸ’¯
— Ollie Pope (@OPope32) July 20, 2023
Mitch Marsh got Crawley twice in Leeds and hasn't bowled at all here before the England opener reaches his century.https://t.co/N0tG1DBanf
— Daniel Cherny (@DanielCherny) July 20, 2023
12AM: STARC HAMSTRING CONCERNS
As if Australia needed more to worry about right now, Mitchell Starc seems to have a fair hobble up after his last over.
Ricky Ponting picked it up in commentary, saying: “A little hobble on the way back to the top of his mark. Just keep a little close eye on him here. I don’t know if it was a grab or a little bit of a rub on the top, he just goes again there.”
11.45PM: POMS PILING ON RUNS
England is all over Australia right now and has thrashed 90 runs in 13 overs since lunch at almost seven an over.
“The scoring rate is getting out of control,” says Callum Ferguson on Channel 9.
Zak Crawley has hustled to 83 from 81 balls and is producing the big score that Australia’s batters were unable to cash in and make.
England’s batting is out of the top drawer here! The big question is, will there be a change of momentum, or will England take this opportunity and close the door?! Crucial next 2-3 hours #Ashes
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) July 20, 2023
11.32PM: KHAWAJA STUNNER
Usman Khawaja has done Pat Cummins a huge favour with a stunning catch to remove Moeen Ali for 54.
11.30PM: CUMMINS PUTS DOWN ALI
That’s a disastrous drop by Pat Cummins.
Moeen Ali goes back to pull Josh Hazlewood but it hits high on the bat and balloons to Cummins at mid-wicket.
He has to make a little bit of ground but then doesn’t even get a hand to it.
Replays show the ball hit the Australian captain in the forearm.
“Hopefully not too many catches go to Pat Cummins before tea break. What is happening with Patty,” says Ian Healy on Channel 9.
11.20PM: ALI JOINS PARTY WITH HALF-CENTURY
Now Moeen Ali joins the party with his first half-century since January, 2019.
The last time Ali made a Test fifty was against the West Indies in a team that featured Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Ben Foakes.
He batted at No.7 in that match, making 60 from 104 balls.
The last time he made more than 60 in a Test was August, 2017 against the West Indies when Ali compiled 84.
The batting line-up in that match included Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Tom Westley and Dawid Malan, with Ali topscoring from No.8.
11.10PM: CRAWLEY PASSES 50, PUNISHES HEAD
Travis Head’s first over has gone for 11 runs as England gave the part-time off-spinner no time to settle in.
Zak Crawley welcomed Head with a reverse sweep for four and glorious six, bringing up his half-century.
England has almost cut the deficit to 200 runs and since Ben Duckett edged behind there’s hardly been a chance for Australia to take a wicket.
Danger signs.
11.05PM: CRAWLEY DROPPED
Ok, we’re being a bit harsh on Alex Carey to call it a drop, but when chances have been few and far between they all count.
Zak Crawley tries to drive Pat Cummins, only to get an inside edge with flies past the stumps.
Carey dives to his left and gets a finger to the ball but it flies away for four.
That would have been an incredible catch had he pouched it, probably even better than Jonny Bairstow’s yesterday.
10.45PM: ALI’S POINT TO PROVE
As he eyes his first Test fifty in more than four years, Moeen Ali is batting with a point to prove.
That’s according to Nasser Hussain, who says the all-rounder has never truly shown his full capabilities as a Test batter.
Ali reached 3000 Test runs in this innings and has also taken 200 career wickets, becoming the 16th player in history to achieve both milestones.
Ali has played two incredible drives already this innings and is showing his move to No.3 is about more than pure aggression.
“He’ll end his career, I think, not thinking about ‘I could have got more wickets’, he’s got 200 Test match wickets. He’ll end his career thinking, ‘I could have got more Test runs for the ability I have got,” Hussain said on Sky Sports.
“He wants to go out there and show the world again that he is a proper, proper batter.”
He’s looking like a proper, proper batter at the moment and giving Australia a bit to worry about too.
10.25PM AUSSIES ACCUSED OF AVOIDING WARNER ISSUE
Steve Waugh has queried whether Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey is prepared to make a call on David Warner’s Test future.
Speaking on SEN before the fourth Ashes Test, in which Warner made 32 in the first innings, Waugh said Aussie selectors had “put themselves in a corner a bit” by continuing to back the opener.
But he went further, asking whether Bailey was avoiding making the call to end Warner’s decorated Test career.
“He’s been struggling for a couple of years really,” Waugh said.
“You watch him and he’s a bit late on the ball. When he’s playing really well he’s aggressive and positive. I think the one sign when Davey is playing well, his running between the wickets really is sharp and mentally, ready to go.
“He’s been a bit slow, I think, in his movements, and it’s a bit of a worry.
“I don’t think George Bailey is willing to make the tough call. He did make it on Aaron Finch and he hasn’t made it on Dave Warner. Now they’ve got what they’ve got and you’ve got to trust him.”
10PM: LUNCH, ENGLAND 1-61
Daniel Cherny in Manchester
Australia’s field placements were again called into question as the fourth Test continued to seesaw on day two.
Mitchell Starc took advantage of English sloppiness with the ball then struck with the new rock but the Moeen Ali experiment reaped rewards for the home side at Old Trafford.
Typical of an Ashes series in which both sides have struggled to ram home the advantage, England recovered from the early loss of Ben Duckett to be 1-61 at lunch in response to Australia’s first innings total of 317.
Former Aussie selector Mark Waugh queried Australia’s tactics.
“I just can’t get my head around these Aust field placements on the off side,” Waugh tweeted.
“Tall, good pace, fast bowlers often hitting the splice of the bat with no fieldsmen near the bat between 4/5th slip and mid off. Hang on there is a backward point for Starc v Ali.”
Having resumed at 8-299, Australia lost a wicket off the first ball of the day when Pat Cummins drove Jimmy Anderson straight to cover point to fall for one.
The Aussie innings looked to have come to an end the following over when Josh Hazlewood nicked one from Chris Woakes. Not out batter Starc was halfway up the stairs and turning his mind to bowling before replays showed Woakes had overstepped.
It turned into a frustrating error for the hosts, as Starc continued his strong batting record in England, reaching 36 as Hazlewood hung around.
The pair batted for another 28 potentially costly minutes – adding 17 further runs after the no-ball – before Woakes eventually secured his first Ashes five-wicket haul when Hazlewood edged to Duckett who took a lunging catch in the cordon.
9.45PM: GREEN TRAPS CRAWLEY LBW, SURVIVES ON DRS
Joel Wilson is not having a great Test.
There was almost a sense of foreboding when he gave Zak Crawley out lbw and sure enough the DRS showed it was high and missing leg off Cameron Green.
Disappointed for Australia but that was a good review.
Wilson was also at fault when Marnus Labuschagne was given not out off Moeen Ali before a successful review from England.
9.35PM: WAUGH CRITICAL OF CUMMINS’ FIELDS
Mark Waugh says he can’t understand Australia’s field as it chases wickets on the second day in Manchester.
Australia started with two men on the boundary, including one at backward point.
Waugh questioned why Australia wouldn’t be more attacking, in particular toward makeshift No.3 batter Moeen Ali.
“I just can’t get my head around these Aust field placements on the off side,” Waugh tweeted. “Tall, good pace, fast bowlers often hitting the splice of the bat with no fieldsmen near the bat between 4/5th slip and mid off.
“Hang on there is a backward point for Starc v Ali.”
9.15PM: AUSSIES ACCUSED OF ‘DANGEROUS’ APPROACH
Former Test skipper Mark Taylor has questioned whether Australia is playing a “dangerous way” and putting too much onus on predicted rain in Manchester later in the fourth Test.
Taylor said Australia’s approach to batting this morning — which included Mitch Starc turning down several singles — suggested it was as interested in taking time out of the match as it was making runs.
Taylor said it was unlike an Australian team to be thinking so defensively.
“They (didn’t) take some runs earlier today when Mitchell Starc was batting with Josh Hazlewood after losing Pat Cummins’s first ball. That surprised me a bit,” he said.
“It was more that, OK, runs are important but we want to take time out of the game because we’re hearing about rain and maybe on Saturday, all these things that may happen in 48 hours’ time.
“But it’s a dangerous way to think because if the rain doesn’t come and you’ve missed opportunities and you’re thinking about potentially the fallback of the draw, then you’re in trouble and it’s not how Australian cricket sides think.”
8.55PM: STARC STRIKES
Ben Duckett is out poking outside off stump again.
Mitch Starc has started beautifully with the new ball and gets one to go away slightly from the left hander.
Alex Carey completes an easy catch after a thick edge and England loses its first wicket.
Moeen Ali is in again at three, as forecast before the Test.
And we all know he’s out there to try and counterpunch.
This should be good viewing.
Former Test quick Trent Copeland was full of praise for Starc, tweeting he was in “career bestr form”.
Duckett waits until half time of the Matildas to edge one through to Carey. #selfless#Ashes2023
— Ryan Fitzgerald (@FitzySA) July 20, 2023
Oh and if you’re wondering, it’s 0-0 between the Matildas and Ireland at halftime.
8.34PM: AUSTRALIA ALL OUT FOR 317
He had to wait another 27 minutes, but Chris Woakes has his first Ashes five-wicket haul.
Ben Duckett takes the catch in the slips cordon to remove Josh Hazlewood and Australia is all out for 317. Will it be enough for a first-innings lead? Have your say below …
Mark Taylor says on Channel 9 there’s no doubt Australia left runs out there after so many players got starts.
“Yes, you see even Mitchell Starc made 36. Lots of starts, no big scores. 317 not bad though. I have always thought if you make 300 batting first you are in the game,” Taylor said.
8.07PM: WOAKES DENIED FIVE-WICKET HAUL BY NO BALL
Just when it looked like Australia had been bowled out for 300 and Chris Woakes had five wickets — he’s overstepped.
Woakes had Josh Hazlewood caught by Zak Crawley at slip but replays showed he had delivered a no ball.
Rotten luck for the English seamer who deserves a five-wicket haul.
He was clearly the best of England’s bowlers on day one.
Isa Guha tweeted: “That’s not a no ball. Bad umpiring.”
Mike Atherton disagreed, saying: “That umpire’s got to adjudicate on the no-ball. Was there anything behind the line? Don’t think so. It’s unbelievably tight.”
That’s not a no-ball. Bad umpiring #ashes
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) July 20, 2023
8PM: WICKET FIRST BALL
Well. We didn’t have to wait long then.
James Anderson gets his first wicket of the Test with the first ball of day two.
Pat Cummins spoons a catch to Ben Stokes at cover and Australia is 9-299.
Yesterday's crowd waited all day for a Jimmy wicket without luck and today's get one first ball 😂😂 #Ashes#ENGvAUS
— Eddie (@E_Sure91) July 20, 2023
7.45PM: BROAD — STUNNING CATCH WILL SPARK BAIRSTOW
Stuart Broad expects Jonny Bairstow to play a major role with the bat for England after the wicketkeeper’s stunning catch to remove Mitch Marsh on day one.
Bairstow was wrong-footed but dived to his right, holding on to remove danger man Marsh for 51 and give Chris Woakes one of his four wickets to date.
Bairstow’s glove work has been maligned throughout the series and he has missed several regulation chances — prompting questions about whether England should have gone with Ben Foakes behind the stumps.
But Bairstow has been a key part of the Bazball revolution and rewarded Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s backing with his brilliant catch yesterday.
“You can see the group get around him when that catch went in actually and his celebration,” Broad said.
“He's been an integral part of Baz’s style throughout the 14 months. He’s been someone who’s led that as a group.
“It was great to see him playing with a big smile on his face. I always think with Jonny, if he gains confidence (from) taking an unbelievable catch like that and everyone gets around him...that generally brings him runs as well.
“That’s a good thing for us as a team because Jonny Bairstow batting seven is a pretty exciting prospect for us as a team.”
7.20PM: LEHMANN — EXPECT BAZBALL IN ‘FAST FORWARD’
Strap yourselves in.
If you thought Bazball had changed the way Test cricket is played, day two in Manchester is going to take that to another level.
England will start its first innings at least 300 runs behind Australia and needing a handy lead to be any chance of victory if predicted rain eventuates later in the Test.
That means today will be crucial for England to push the run rate and try to move the game forward.
“The scary thing for me is if we don’t bowl well, they’ll score so quickly, because (at) Old Trafford you can score quickly,” former Aussie coach Darren Lehmann told RSN radio.
“It’s short straight, yes it’s big square. But it’s a fast outfield and the weather is supposed to be good for the next couple of days.
“The game could be in fast forward by tomorrow night.”
7.05PM: MARNUS RUES KEY DAY ONE MOMENT
Marnus Labuschagne has spoken of his disappointment at being unable to cash in after passing fifty for the first time this Ashes series.
Labuschagne was out lbw to Moeen Ali for 51 on day one in a dismissal labelled “soft” and “lazy” by past greats.
The Aussie No.3 said he sensed him and Travis Head were getting on top of England’s bowlers at 3-183 before his wicket sparked a collapse of 5-116 despite Australia bolstering its batting line-up.
“...I felt like we were so close to turning it, Heady and I, to getting a big, really big, partnership together,” he told reporters after play.
“Probably a little bit lazy on that, tried to turn it to the leg side, and Moeen got me.”
6.30PM: WARNER HAUNTED BY ASHES NEMESIS
It seems David Warner just can’t get Stuart Broad out of his head at The Ashes with the under fire Aussie even making up songs about his English nemesis.
The third Test in Leeds marked the 17th time in their great rivalry that Broad had taken the wicket of Warner with many calling for the Aussie opener to be dropped.
Despite maintaining the faith of Australian selectors, Warner, by his own admissions, says Broad is well and truly in his head.
“I feel like a lot of the banter has gone from cricket but you can still have some,” Warner told the UK Telegraph.
“Back when I started there were a lot of people that didn’t like me much, I feel that’s the way I got the best out of yourself.
“Now you have different ways of getting out there, you sing songs in your head. There’s a lot of ways to get yourself going when you’re out there.”
Asked by Michael Vaughan what songs he was singing to himself, Warner said: “Well, ‘Broady is gonna get ya’, that’s always in my mind.” before the pair erupted in hysterics.
'What am I thinking? I'm singing 'Broady's gonna get ya' in my head'
— Telegraph Cricket (@telecricket) July 18, 2023
ðŸŽ™ï¸ @davidwarner31 on what he says to himself as Stuart Broad runs in#TelegraphCricket | #ENGvAUS | #Ashes
Day one of the fourth Test at Old Trafford saw Broad become just the fifth bowler to take 600 Test wickets when he had Travis Head caught in the deep by Joe Root.
He hailed the influence of Australia greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath on his career.
It was the second of two wickets in the seamer’s haul of 2-68 with Australia 299-8 at stumps after being sent into bat by England captain Ben Stokes in a match the hosts have to win, at 2-1 down to play, if they are to regain the Ashes.
Broad has often starred against Australia, having spent his youth witnessing numerous England defeats by their arch rivals.
Following a 1986/87 triumph in Australia where Broad’s father, Chris Broad, scored three hundreds, it was not until 2005 that England next won an Ashes series -- two years before Stuart Broad’s Test debut.
“I grew up completely obsessed watching Ashes cricket and I suppose that’s why some of my heroes are Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, some of the great Aussie team,” Broad told a post-play news conference on Wednesday.
“As a kid you are influenced by winning sides. It also built up my steeliness to want to be part of England teams that could win the Ashes after going through a whole childhood without us lifting them.
“I probably grew up with a bit more of an Australian mindset rather than a sort of England mindset of the (19) 90s.”
Broad, the leading bowler on either side in this series with 18 wickets, has been a rejuvenated cricketer since skipper Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took charge of England’s Test side last year.
In that time Broad has taken 87 wickets in 14 Tests, having feared for his international future after being left out from a tour of the West Indies in March 2022.
“Ultimately Baz (McCullum) and Stokesy have given me a new lease of life in a way,” he said.
“It is such a free changing room. There is no fear of failure or judgement, it’s about moving the game forward and that suits me. I owe a lot in the last 14 months to the way Baz and Stokes have brought energy to the group.” Broad added: “I would argue it’s been the most enjoyable year of my Test career which is an awesome thing to say at 37 years old.
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