"Picked a fight with the whole team" - Stuart Broad angered by Australia's contentious stumping against Jonny Bairstow
Veteran England bowler Stuart Broad has opened up on what he told Pat Cummins and Alex Carey after the contentious stumping of Jonny Bairstow on Day 5 of the second Test at Lord's. The 37-year-old disclosed that unlike previous occasions, he picked a fight with the entire team.
Bairstow's stumping by keeper Carey left a bad taste on the entire England team and the Lord's crowd. Carey broke the stumps with an underarm throw as the Yorkshire cricketer strode out of the crease after ducking a ball from Cameron Green. The 'OUT' signal from third umpire shocked the hosts, though.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Broad said that he held Alex Carey and Pat Cummins responsible for all the boos around the stadium.
"I just said to Pat on repeat: ‘All these boos are for you, for your decision.’ And: ‘What a great opportunity you had to think clearly. I normally try and pick a fight with someone on the opposition, but on this occasion, I picked a fight with the whole team. To Alex Carey, I said: ‘This is what you’ll be remembered for, and that's a shame."
At the post-match presentation, Cummins called it fair play, but both the England captain and coach questioned Australia for their poor spirit of cricket display.
"We were both in our zones" - Stuart Broad on his partnership with Ben Stokes
Reflecting on his 108-run stand with Ben Stokes, the Nottinghamshire seamer said that Stokes is a pleasure to watch when he's in the zone.
"It may have been a bit silly, but I also shouted ‘in’ every time I crossed the line. To be honest, it was a pleasure to be out there with Stokesy when he was in one of those moods. We were both in our zones. He wanted me to react to him."
Broad added that Australia's move against Bairstow was against what they promised after 'Sandpapergate'.
"I was angered by Australia’s decision, particularly having heard their lines about creating a new legacy as a team and how they have changed since the tour of South Africa in 2018."
Both captains expect tempers to rise exponentially when they meet at Headingley for the third Test, starting on Thursday (July 6).