Stuart Broad concedes he could be in for a long summer after footage of the England villain enduring a torturous moment in the commentary box went viral during the first Ashes Test.
A blistering 69-ball century from Travis Head helped Australia claim a remarkable eight-wicket win in Perth inside two days to take a 1-0 series lead, leaving England in all sorts of trouble.
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An England victory looked all but certain when the visitors were cruising at 1/65 in the second innings, only for the Poms to lose 4/23 in a brutal batting collapse that gave Australia a shot at victory.
Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Ben Stokes departed in quick succession, and Broad couldn’t believe his eyes as England seemingly threw away a golden chance to strike first and lead the Ashes.
When Root chopped a Mitchell Starc delivery onto his stumps, ex-Australian opener Matthew Hayden exclaimed in commentary on Channel 7: “Stuart Broad, stay in the commentary box, you are taking wickets galore!”
Broad was visibly deflated as he closed his eyes for a moment, pinched his nose and stared daggers as England’s batting fell apart in a match-turning period.
Footage of Broad being stitched up, which you can watch above, has gone viral on social media, racking up millions of views as Australian cricket fans delight in the England villain’s anguish.
Watch Stuart Broad discuss his viral moment in the video at the top of this article
“The Aussies are revelling in it because they hate me so much,” Broad said when he was quizzed about the viral moment on Seven’s Test review show.
“They’re really feeling the pain that I was feeling when Rooty chopped it on. We (England fans) were all feeling that exact emotion at the same time.
“It was such a big moment in the game. We’d allowed ourselves to feel slightly comfortable and think ‘we’re doing alright here, we’re in the game still’ and Australia did what Australia did.”
“That’s torture isn’t it,” former England captain Mike Atherton quipped as Broad was asked about the moment on the Sky Sports cricket podcast.
“Collapse happening — it was the Root wicket when you had to listen to Haydos calling it and your facial expressions told the story.
“I loved that. I was chuckling away seeing you next to Matthew Hayden and I thought, ‘If things go like they’ve gone in the last couple of days in Perth, it’s going to be a long summer in the Channel 7 commentary box’.”
“Is it ever,” Broad replied.
“Although what I would say is it’s a lot easier losing from the commentary box than it is on the field.
“That’s what Test cricket does to you. It sort of brings all your emotions out and it was that period on commentary where we lost four in the blink of an eye.
“When Rooty chopped on, it was just a natural reaction for me to just close my eyes and just pray it wasn’t actually happening.
“If I close them, maybe this isn’t actually happening. Can we just soak up a little bit of pressure somehow?”
Broad said he knew a perfect storm was unfolding for the Aussies as England let victory slip through their fingers.
“I’ve been there countless times before in Australia where they just open that door slightly.
“When you talk about, you’re not just playing against the Australian cricket team, you’re playing against Australia, it’s that moment where that comes in.
“Suddenly the crowd was erupting, everyone’s celebrating with their mates in the crowd. You just see Jamie Smith walking out to bat and I think, ‘you’ve never been in a situation like this before, you’ve never felt what is going on’.
“Credit to Australia, they were absolutely superb, but England just opened that door.”
The defeat in Perth was a gut-punch for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s men as England’s winless streak in Tests Down Under extended to 16 matches.
No English team has won an Ashes series on Australian soil after going down 1-0 since 1955.
“That’s why we feel flat,” Broad said.
“This one was England’s best opportunity in Australia for a long, long time.
“Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing through injury, lot of confusion over what was happening at the top of the order.”
The second Ashes Test gets underway in Brisbane on December 4 and England have been urged to play a two-day pink ball game against the England Lions to prepare for the day-night Test.
Pat Cummins is aiming to return at the Gabba, but Josh Hazlewood had already been ruled out of the second Test amid growing fears the paceman could miss the entire series with his hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Head’s explosive century has prompted discussions over whether he should remain as opener, forcing Usman Khawaja out of the side and into retirement.
Khawaja, 38, spent significant time off the field in Perth getting treatment for back spasms and would likely be replaced by all-rounder Beau Webster if he is dropped for the second Test.
