‘That’s the one thing he did really well’ – Brad Haddin backs Stuart Broad’s antics of irking Australian players

Stuart Broad in 5th Day. (Photo Source : Twitter)

Australia went one step closer to retaining the coveted urn as they defeated England by 43 runs on Day 5 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s to go 2-0 up in the series. However, Day 5 was marred with a huge controversy following Jonny Bairstow’s bizarre stumping.

Bairstow was stumped off the bowling of Cameron Green as the England wicketkeeper-batter walked out of his crease after ducking a bouncer. He felt that the ball was ‘dead’ in cricketing terms but Alex Carey tried his luck and aimed an under-arm throw at the stumps that hit bulls-eye. Bairstow was found short of his crease and was stumped. This irked the England team and their fans as they felt it was against the spirit of the game.

Stuart Broad came out to bat after the dismissal of Bairstow and gave the Aussies a mouthful during his knock of 11 in 36 balls. He apparently told Alex Carey that people are going to remember him for dismissing Bairstow the way he did. The veteran pacer’s antics also engaged the home crowd and the atmosphere became hostile for the visitors. Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin felt that Broad’s antics managed to build pressure on the Aussies as the English fans were going after them from beyond the boundary line.

“He (Broad) was just going on like a pork chop. He was under pressure going 0-2 down. Australia were working him over and hitting a lot on the body. They weren’t 123K bouncers. If he is talking about being remembered for unsportsmanlike conduct, he is a pretty good judge,” Haddin said on the Willow Talk Podcast.

“He engaged with Marnus and made his point to the umpire that he was unhappy with the (Bairstow) decision. The crowd went after Alex Carey, the guys on the boundary. We saw Steve Smith drop a catch and you could feel the pressure build. That’s the one thing he did really well. He engages the crowd and he knows that when they get going, England get an extra leg,” he added.

It must have been some very strong words for Usman Khawaja to react the way he did: Brad Haddin

When the Australian team was returning back to the pavilion through the Long Room at Lunch, Usman Khawaja was seen engaging in a heated argument with an MCC member. Haddin said that the Australian opener usually has a relaxed demeanor and a reaction like that from him would not come without a strong reason.

“It must have been some very strong words for Usman Khawaja to react the way he did. He is pretty chilled, doesn’t get emotional, and just goes about his work. But consistently, the Long Room would be giving it to you. They just stand there with MCC ties and some of the words that come out of their mouth, it isn’t always pleasant to walk through that Long Room,” Haddin stated

Notably, three accused members from the Long Room have been suspended.