"We will have to use the atmosphere to our advantage" - Stuart Broad ahead of 3rd Ashes Test at Headingley
Veteran England seamer Stuart Broad has said that they must use the crowd's full support at Headingley in the third Test to beat Australia and make the scoreline 2-1. The 37-year-old reflected that upholding the appeal agitated him the most about Jonny Bairstow's stumping in the second Test.
The stumping affected by Alex Carey on Day 5 at Lord's left a bad taste in the mouth among the English cricketers. Both the England captain and coach questioned the Australians for violating the spirit of the game, with Brendon McCullum adding that relationships have been strained.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Broad said:
"To repeat, it was not the act that annoyed me, it was the fact that they upheld the appeal. Headingley is not the quietest place at the best of times, but this week we will have to use the atmosphere to our advantage."
The crowd at Lord's turned on the Australians after that incident. Usman Khawaja and David Warner had some heated exchanges with the members at Lord's. The MCC, though, took action and suspended three of them.
"I will be ready for another five days" - Stuart Broad
Despite acknowledging that he has bowled more overs than most in the series, Broad underlined his readiness for the Headingley Test:
"I said at the start of the summer that I would be happy playing one Test but my job now is to rest, recuperate and get myself available for Thursday.
"Selection is not my call, but although I have bowled more balls than anyone else in the series, I will be ready for another five days. Three matches left, we will now be faced with three result pitches. This series has turned into a shootout, and we are very confident we can still do this."
England picked up a thrilling one-wicket win the last time the two sides met at Headingley, thanks to Stokes' unbeaten 135.