England's Stuart Broad celebrates the dismissal of Australia's Travis Head his 600th test wicket. Photo / AP
Stuart Broad claimed his 600th test wicket for England, under-fire wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow took three catches and Australia batters kept the runs ticking along to reach 299-8 at stumps on the first day of the fourth Ashes test today in what already looks like another close contest.
Broad joined test
cricket’s exclusive club as he and Chris Woakes kept England’s hopes of a rousing Ashes comeback alive at Old Trafford.
Three years after taking his 500th wicket at the same ground, Broad completed another century to join a hall of fame that includes only four other names: Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Broad’s teammate James Anderson and Anil Kumble. Among fast bowlers, Anderson and Broad stand alone in the pantheon.
The 37-year-old Broad dismissed the series’ top run-scorer Usman Khawaja (3) early on and returned after tea to bounce out Travis Head (48) as his landmark victim, overtaking Ian Botham’s record for an England bowler of 148 Australian wickets in the process.
But with England in do-or-die territory at 2-1 down heading into the test, the collective mission in Manchester was even more important than any personal achievements, guaranteeing Woakes a healthy share of the spotlight.
