"He has just got that inner spirit, inner fight" - Michael Vaughan hails Stuart Broad for post-lunch burst on Day 2 of final Ashes Test
Former England captain Michael Vaughan praised veteran pacer Stuart Broad for his match-turning spell post-lunch on Day 2 of the final Ashes Test that helped tilt the momentum in favor of the hosts.
After a subdued first session in which the Aussies added 54 runs for the loss of a lone wicket in Marnus Labuschagne, Broad erupted at the start of the second session to bring the Oval crowd back to life. The 37-year-old dismissed Usman Khawaja in the first over after Lunch and followed it up with the massive wicket of Travis Head two overs later.
It helped reduce Australia from a seemingly strong 115/2 to 127/4 to turn the tide back in England's favor.
On his review of Day 1 for Cricbuzz, Vaughan said:
"He ( Broad) is Mr. Ashes. When you talk about Ashes cricket in 20-30 years, you are always going to mention Stuart Broad. He has just got that inner spirt, inner fight. England desperately needed it, they needed a little bit of momentum. And then the crowd started getting involved as well after being quiet at the start."
The former Ashes-winning skipper commended the English bowlers for their performance on Day 2 while lamenting their sticking with the short delivery tactic to Australia's lower order.
With the game seemingly back in England's control, the final three Australian wickets added a valuable 110 to provide them a 12-run first-innings cushion.
"England were really good and if they were asked at the start of the day that England will be back batting tomorrow and Australia will have a little lead, England would have grabbed that. But they have to look at the way they bowled to Todd Murphy because England continue to go with the short stuff. They are doing it consistently and Australia's last 3 have put on another 100 runs which could be a huge difference in the Test match," added Vaughan.
Stuart Broad becomes the first England bowler to complete 150 wickets in Ashes 👏🔥
#Ashes #Cricket #StuartBroad pic.twitter.com/XY5wPqx9V5
Broad also completed 150 Ashes wickets during his breathtaking spell, becoming the first English cricketer to achieve the feat.
He is third on the all-time list for most Ashes wickets, behind only the legendary duo of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
The champion pacer is also the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 20 wickets in nine innings at an average of 28.15.
"England have got a great chance tomorrow" - Michael Vaughan
Micheal Vaughan believes England have a golden opportunity to take the bull by the horn on Day 3 of the final Test should they bat sensibly. The hosts have squandered several times through the series from a position of strength due to their lack of game awareness in their batting.
It was most notable in the first two Tests when batting collapses after excellent starts allowed the visitors to get on top and win both games. Vaughan felt the onus is on the English batters to take control of the game, particularly with Moeen Ali nursing a groin injury.
"England have got a great chance tomorrow. Yes, they'll go at 4.50-5 runs an over but just think they've got to play with half a brain because of the bowlers. There's no Moeen Ali . Joe Root is doing a great job but dont think Australia will fear his spin on a pitch that generally gets better to bat on. It won't detoriate Or have uneven bounce," said Vaughan.
He added:
"So yes the England batters should play their natural game anf and if they can get on top then do so. But there maybe a time, particularly if Pat Cummins spreads the field where they have just got to play with a bit of sense, knocking it into the gaps and rotate the strike and give their bowlers a few hours to rest and recover. If Australia are only chasing 200-220, think they'll have enough to get over the line."
With the drawn game at Manchester, the Aussies retained the Ashes urn for a third consecutive series.
Australia will record their first Test series victory in England since 2001 should they win or draw the ongoing Oval Test.