ASHES 2009: Stu-rewth! Broad blitz puts England in control as Stuart takes five at the Oval
By Paul Newman Last updated at 12:33 AM on 22nd August 2009Well, England have had worse days. They stand today, after a sensational session at The Brit Oval when eight Australian wickets fell, with one hand on the Ashes, inspired not by Andrew Flintoff but by the man destined to replace him.
Yesterday was the day that Stuart Broad confirmed himself as an all-round cricketer of the very highest class, capable of leading the England attack and balancing the side with batting that resembles that of his father.
Even though England tumbled to 58 for three in their second innings by the close, an incredible 15 wickets falling on the second day of the final npower Test, they lead by 230 and really should go on to their second successive home Ashes triumph.
Star man: Broad celebrates after trapping Hussey lbw
Australia will have to bat extraordinarily well under extreme pressure to deny them.
If Broad stays in the England team for another 10 years, which he will barring injury, he will struggle to replicate the impact and significance of the 12-over spell yesterday that went a considerable way towards winning the Ashes.
He was the fifth bowler used by Andrew Strauss, almost at the point when everyone else had failed.
Australia had lunched at 61 without loss in reply to England's 332 and The Oval crowd were tense, as if the biggest prize of all was slipping away.
Sent flying: Haddin is bowled by Broad as England seized control
Cometh the hour, cometh a most impressive and mature young man, a competitor who had not had the best of Ashes series until Headingley, but who never stopped believing in himself.
Indeed, had England gone for a twin-spin attack featuring Monty Panesar, Broad would have been the man to miss out.
Instead, he simply ripped the urn out of Ricky Ponting's hands when the pressure was at its most intense.
The bare statistics make extraordinary reading. Ricky, look away now. From 73 without loss shortly after a shower had delayed play until 2.30pm, Australia crumbled to 133 for eight at tea and 160 all out shortly afterwards.
They lost eight wickets for 72 in 24.4 overs of the most spectacular, exuberant Test cricket that the 24,000 lucky souls present will ever see.
Crowd pleaser: Broad acknowledges the fans as England go off for tea
Two hours that Broad, who bowled unchanged to take five for 37 with a clever mixture of swing bowling, cutters and sheer presence, will never forget.
He walked off at the head of his team at tea refusing to take off his cap, as if he did not want to celebrate until Australia had been dismissed, before properly acknowledging the magnitude of his achievement once Graeme Swann and Flintoff had completed the job.
The king is dead at the end of this match, long live the king!
Holding the fort: Andrew Strauss remains unbeaten overnight
It is worth remembering that Broad turned down the Indian Premier League in April to give himself the best possible chance of being fresh and at his best for his first Ashes series.
Not for him the short-term gains which could lead to long-term pain and burn-out.
As Flintoff hobbles towards retirement and Kevin Pietersen misses the big moment here - both did themselves little physical good by chasing the IPL dollar - a rare example in English cricket of money not coming first has paid dividends for Broad.
He had the stamina and the legs to keep on bowling yesterday in a final Test that could finish as early as Saturday.
Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, was unhappy at the lack of speed with which the Surrey ground-staff pulled on the covers when rain hit yesterday, angrily telling Bill Gordon that he would report him to the match referee.
Australia's frustration is understandable, particularly as Marcus North and Stuart Clark then fell to poor decisions by Asad Rauf.
They came here expecting the usual true Oval pitch but have been ambushed on the sort of result track upon which Andrew Caddick and Phil Tufnell bowled England to victory over Australia in 1997.
That unlikely pairing took 19 of the Australian wickets to fall 12 years ago in a dead rubber. Broad and Swann could easily emulate them in a match that really matters.
Generations of suffering England cricketers will not mind a jot if Gordon, groundsman of the year for the past six years, really did sit back and think of England when preparing a wicket more usually found in Karachi than Kennington.
There is nothing wrong with using home advantage, even if the pitch inspector would have been called in by now if this were a county match.
And the current England team will not worry, either. They saw Rauf deny them the early wicket of Shane Watson when Australia batted - at least one of the three lbw appeals of four he survived looking as if it was out.
Their big three of Jimmy Anderson, Flintoff and Steve Harmison had failed to make any inroads into the Aussie batting and Strauss turned to Plan B.
Broad answered in spectacular style, defeating Watson with one that kept low, then taking advantage of Ponting's tendency to start nervously and beating Mike Hussey with swing.
Michael Clarke fell to a good catch at extra cover from Jonathan Trott before Broad's piece de resistance, a swinging yorker that did for Brad Haddin.
Swann was more fortunate with two of his dismissals but got rid of the crabby and adhesive Simon Katich and saw Mitchell Johnson caught excellently by Matt Prior before Flintoff finally took a wicket in his farewell Test.
The crowd stood to Broad and England and although Johnson struck back when England batted again, with Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood falling cheaply, the force is surely with the hosts while Strauss is there.
They cannot let their advantage slip now.
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