Ashes 2021-22: “I Still Have A Lot To Offer To This Team" - Stuart Broad After His Eighth Fifer

Veteran England seamer Stuart Broad has said that he is not even remotely thinking of retirement after he picked his eighth fifer in the Ashes series history, during the fourth Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in the ongoing Ashes 2021-22.

Stuart Broad picked 5/101 as Australia posted a mammoth 416/8d in their first innings with Usman Khawaja making 137 and Steve Smith making 67 runs. England finished day 2 on 13/0 as rain affected the first day of the match as well in Sydney.

Stuart Broad picked up his 19th Test fifer and his second in Australia as the hosts took control. The 35-year old’s milestone arrived after disturbing Usman Khawaja’s stumps for 137. His tally in Ashes went to 125 as he removed the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Cameron Green, and Pat Cummins as well.

“I still feel like I have a lot to offer this team. Whether that is playing week in, week out like I did when I was 26, 27, maybe not. But I’m old and experienced enough to know how to bowl on different pitches and how to get myself ready and right when the chances come.

I think when you haven’t been playing, particularly at 35 years old, you realise how special it is. I’ve had points in my career where I’ve felt like I’ve always been playing. That’s not happened in 2021 and it’s my job to make that happen in 2022,” Broad told BT Sports.

Given the veteran’s performance in the ongoing Sydney Test, experts rued his non-selection in Brisbane and Melbourne – both of which were conducive to seam bowling.

It Was Australia’s Day- Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad picked his 19^th five-wicket haul in Test cricket in what is his 151^st Test match. However, the tall pacer said that he would have preferred to have a fifer and bowl Australia out for 250 instead of over 400 runs.

He said: “I would have preferred it to be a five-for where you bowl Australia out for 250 and really make a statement that way but there might be some more opportunities to do that. It was Australia’s day – there is a chance there that we could have bowled them out for 350 but it didn’t quite work for us and 400 is always a psychological thing on the scoreboard.”

“We have a batting group who have been talking a lot and are desperate to stamp a bit of authority in Australia. There is an opportunity to do that,” he added.

England trails 0-3 in the five-Test Ashes series.

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