In the long stretch of time leading up to this Ashes series—two entire
months—it has been apparent that one of Australia’s tactics was to get inside
Stuart Broad’s head, and use his now-infamous “not walking” episode from the
previous Ashes series as a point of attack. A way to get under his skin. They
felt his fiery temper was a weak spot where they could get to him and lessen
his effectiveness.
This told me a couple of things. First of all, it said to me that the
Australians feared the impact of Stuart Broad as a bowler. Secondly, it told me
that they really didn’t think very hard about it.
Had they perhaps thought about it a bit harder, they would have realized
that attacking him and calling him a cheat, among other things, would actually
serve to, more than anything else, inspire him. I think that sort of thing is
meat and drink to a player like Broad, and has inspired many others in the past.
Events of day one in Brisbane showed the folly of the tactic; it really
backfired. Broad slashed through the Aussie top order, ending up with five
wickets on the first day. Of course, there was every possibility this tactic
might work. It has in the past. Sledging has long been a part of the Aussie
arsenal (and by stating that I am not saying it’s bad). The Aussies just made a
couple of mistakes in implementing this strategy. First, they picked the wrong
player. Maybe they should have gone after Joe Root or Michael Carberry, as the
members of the England side with the least amount of international experience.
Second, they assumed that they are still a good enough team to capitalize on it
should the tactic work. This Australian team is pretty good, but it is nowhere
near the quality of past teams. Even an Australia Ashes victory wouldn’t change
that fact.
So for day two, maybe the Aussies should be less fiery and “creative,”
and take more of a lead from Brad Haddin, the only batsman who stood tall as
the rest of the team fell in ruins.
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