"He has done it time and time again"- Brad Haddin shocked by James Anderson not bowling with second new ball on Day 5
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was baffled to see England not give the second new ball to legendary pacer James Anderson during Day 5 of the first Ashes 2023 Test in Edgbaston on Tuesday.
The hosts delayed a bit in taking the second new ball, and even after opting for it, they used Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson with the experienced James Anderson not even bowling a single delivery with the new ball.
Speaking on 'Willow Talk' cricket podcast, here's what Brad Haddin had to say about James Anderon not bowling:
"I got no idea why he (Anderson) didn't bowl after like the 67th over. There were about seven people in the middle doing discussions on what tactics they need to use. But not one of them thought that let's give the ball to the most experienced bowler, James Anderson. He has done it time and time again and has executed under pressure."
Haddin also spoke about how the flat wicket helped Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon bat with more freedom in their match-winning partnership. He added:
"The thing that went their way was the wickets. England wanted placid and flat wickets to play entertaining cricket and that's exactly what they got. It allowed Pat Cummins and Lyon to not fear the wicket. They went after the short balls in the first innings as they knew it was coming."
Brad Haddin on Usman Khawaja's brilliance
Brad Haddin also credited opener Usman Khawaja for his Player of the Match performance. Khawaja scored more than 200 runs in the Test match including his maiden hundred on England soil.
The former cricketer spoke about how Khawaja moulded his game as per the team's requirement and stated:
"He (Khawaja) just wore them down. He said that he was fighting demons in his head during that innings to not take on the game a bit more. He stayed strong to the plan Australia had to take the game deep and win in the last hour. Usman Khawaja has been sensational since he has come back in Test cricket and it is the reward for all the hard work he has done."
The win by two wickets would have certainly lifted the spirits of the visitors and would have healed the wounds of Edgbaston 2005 to some extent.