The Ashes: Stuart Broad says he still has a lot to offer England after five-wicket haul vs Australia | Cricket News

“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”

Stuart Broad’s five-wicket haul was his eighth in Ashes cricket and the 19th of his Test career

England seamer Stuart Broad says “he still has a lot to offer” after taking his 19th Test five-wicket haul on day two of the fourth Test against Australia in Sydney.

Broad bagged 5-101, including Australia top-scorer Usman Khawaja for 137, as he picked up the eighth five-for of his Ashes career.

The 35-year-old had spoken in his Mail on Sunday column earlier this week about how he would not make a rash decision on his Test future after being left out of two of the first three Ashes fixtures.

But, speaking to BT Sport on Thursday, Broad suggested his Test career is far from over.

“I still feel like I have a lot to offer this team,” said Broad on the day he became England’s second-most prolific Ashes bowler of all time as he took his tally of wickets against Australia to 125.

“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 sat out the Brisbane and Melbourne Tests, with his sole appearance in this Ashes series before Sydney coming in the pink-ball second game in Adelaide.

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Rob Key says Stuart Broad dismissing David Warner yet again in the Ashes series shows how unwise England were to leave him out in Brisbane.

Ollie Robinson’s shoulder niggle handed Broad an opportunity at the SCG and he went on to dismiss David Warner, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins and Khawaja in Australia’s first innings.

He added: “It’s frustrating when you miss out, particularly on pitches where you feel you have a positive influence. But no one has a given right to be in the side.

“You have to earn that and you can only do it with the right opportunities. That’s top-flight sport and there are big decisions all around the world to be made on that sort of thing.

“What I can do is try my hardest to be ready if an opportunity comes. I don’t feel I have particularly grabbed that chance – 5-101 is not something you are writing home about – but I felt I bowled pretty well within the plan of the group.

“My focus when I got picked was that this was great opportunity to play at one of my favourite grounds in the world. Can I run in all day and show a lot of heart?

“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.”

Mark Wood bowled with real heart for England but was unable to add to his dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne on day one

Australia declared on 416-8 before England closed on 13-0 after a tricky five overs before stumps – Zak Crawley reprieved on nought by a Mitchell Starc no-ball after he edged to slip.

Broad praised England’s endeavour with the ball and says the side’s batters now have a great chance to “stamp their authority”.

England’s highest score in the series so far is 297, while they were razed for 68 in their previous innings at the MCG last week.

Broad said: “I thought we stuck at our task pretty well as a bowling group. I think every seamer kept running in as hard as we could all day.

“I look at Mark Wood’s last spell, he deserved two or three wickets in that spell alone – he bowled fantastically all day. Test cricket a lot of the time is about character and it was a day when we had to keep trucking in.

“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.

“The pitch isn’t misbehaving too much – there is a bit of uneven bounce with the new ball. There is nothing wrong with taking time to get in as once you are in and the ball gets softer you feel like you can score runs.

“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.”