Broad turns dangerous to Australia

In his next spell, Broad started with the new ball late in the evening on Thursday to give an end to the seventh-wicket partnership when the score was 65-5. From the other end, Jimmy Anderson contributed 2-61 from his spell of 22 overs.

Broad, who has been admired and distinguished as pantomime villain got a raucous boo from the Gabba crowd. In this match, Anderson and Chris Tremlett took a wicket each before Haddin and Johnson combined to start the recovery.

Although the top order batsmen failed to score runs, the seventh-wicket pair played with tranquility and mainly focused on the loose balls for hitting on a Gabba pitch that favored both seam and swing early. But, as the day progressed even this partnership was broken by Broad. Even after repeated failures in the recent 3-0 series defeat in England, the top order batsmen, guilty could not succeed in this match also. Similar episodes recurred in the performances of Rogers, Clarke and Warner. It was Steve Smith who made a reasonably good score 31.

It is evident that in the corresponding test in the last Ashes series Down Under, England won the toss and batted but was dismissed for 260 in 77 overs and Australia was 25-0 in reply at stumps on day one. England forced a draw with a second innings of 517-1 declared in the second innings, a dig that set the This was English’s first series win in Australia after as many as 24 years.