England fast-bowling star Stuart Broad was proud to have been part of the resumption of the Oval Test against South Africa on September 10, with the Day 3 of the rain-marred fixture being played in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.
On what was, in effect, the opening day of the game, players and spectators mourned the demise of Queen. England players wore black armbands on their shoulders as a mark of respect for her.
Broad deemed the occasion a “celebration of Queen’s life” but also turned his eyes on cricket, with 17 wickets falling on the day. The England seamer defended his team’s batting approach where they aggressively tried to push the scoring after dismissing the Proteas for 118 in the first two sessions.
The Three Lions ended the play with 151 for 7, missing an opportunity to build on their bowling exploits and take a decisive advantage in what happens to be a decider with the series leveled 1-1.
Even budgeting for the limited time left in the Test, there could only be a weak defence made for the rush of blood with which Ben Stokes and Joe Root got out, allowing South Africa a backdoor entry into the match.
Broad, however, said England have no apologies to offer to anyone for carrying on with a method that has given them success for the summer under coach Brendon McCullum.
“We’re very comfortable chasing a score, to be honest. Our mindset is we need to play in a way that gives us the chance to take 20 wickets, and if bowling first we get 20 wickets, we’ll win the game,”
he told Sky Sports.
“If we bowl again tomorrow and put South Africa under pressure, we could be could be batting on a day-three Oval pitch, which you’d argue could be the best time to bat. Our mindset was we want a result either way in this game.”
England could add only seven more runs to their total when the play continued on Day 4 on September 11, giving the Proteas an opportunity to resurrect themselves and put the pressure back on the hosts after a horrible first-innings with bat in hand.
