June 19th 2023.
Stuart Broad was thrilled to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith on day four of the first Ashes Test, and he admitted he 'wanted one more'. The England bowler took the key wickets of Labuschagne and Smith, leaving Australia on 107-3 and needing 174 runs to win the Test.
Broad has now got Labuschagne out for no runs in five balls during the match and is two wickets away from achieving 50 Test wickets at Edgbaston. Usman Khawaja is still standing, which is a major concern for England after his impressive 141 in the first innings.
When speaking to Sky Sports, Broad said: "I wanted one more tonight really because it was moving a nice amount. Those two scrapped really well at the end I thought. It's a dry pitch but if you just bash away, bash away and then one might do something.
"I didn't go into the spell feeling like we desperately needed wickets. We all know with the new ball it is almost the best time to bat because you can actually hit it. Once the ball gets a bit older it's harder, especially off the spin, you can't play the big shots straight.
"Coming into that I just thought if I whack the pitch as hard as I can, get a bit of movement and create a bit of theatre… That's the thing with Ashes cricket, if you can get the crowd going and create that theatre you can make it feel like something is happening even when it's not."
Broad's efforts were praised by former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, who said on the BBC: "Stuart Broad has shown why he was picked for this game. He would have been first on my list to play this game because of the occasion and the moment. He is so good, and he's done it so many times, at grabbing the initiative. Those two wickets were absolutely vital when the game was drifting. He delivers the goods time and time again. I don't know how he does it."
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