Stuart Broad sparked up the morning session of Day 2 of the first Ashes Test, at Edgbaston, with two wickets on consecutive deliveries, putting England right on top of Australia after the hosts had declared at 398/8 last evening.
Australia had gotten off to a steady, consolidatory start by Usman Khawaja and David Warner, but English Seamer rampaged in and castled Warner, marking the 15th time in Test cricket he’s dismissed the Aussie left-handed pocket dynamo opener.
The challenge was up there next ready for Broad: the world number 1 ranked ICC Test batsman, Marnus Labuschagne. And so was Stuart Broad.
The veteran England pacer signaled the crowd to amp up their decibel levels and the Edgbaston crowd obliged. What followed by not only the dismissal of Labuschagne, but also some raucous celebration from the legendary English seamer, the players, and the crowd.
Broad and his teammates were ecstatic with Labuschagne’s wicket, because it was a plan that had come to fruition after long planning. Labuschagne had elevated his Test carer on the last Ashes 2019 tour when he compiled multiple half-centuries and became a thorn in England’s side. So seeing him get out for a duck on the first ball brought great joy for English Seamer and the England supporters.
It was a full delivery outside off that swung and bit and Labuschagne got tempted into a poke, edging it to the wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow, who took a terrific diving catch to this right.
England and Stuart Broad, in particular, had planned this sort of dismissal months ago for Labuschagne and the execution was on spot from the hosts.
In an interview in April, Stuart Broad had said: “It’s designed, to be honest, for Marnuus and Smith. It’s the reason I wanted to change something, to try andd bring their outside edge in more. My stock delivery will always be wobble seam, trying to nip back on off-stump, because I think that’s the most dangerous ball. But to those guys, dragging them across with away swing is important.”
