Veteran England pacer Stuart Broad’s prophecy of sorts ahead of Day 4 of the recently concluded third Test of Ashes 2023 amazingly comes to an inch-perfect fruition. It took England exactly 50 overs to chase down a 251-run target at Headingley as they stay alive in a five-match series with the score line reading 2-1 in favour of Australia.
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Akin the first two Tests this one proved to be a see-saw battle as well between the two fierce rivals. However, England batter Harry Brook’s fluent half-century coming during a seventh-wicket partnership alongside all-rounder Chris Woakes shifted the balance in favour of the hosts as they emerged victorious by 3 wickets.
Australia speester Mitchell Starc’s 14th Test five-wicket haul did make the ever-energetic crowd nervous for a fair bit of time, but the pressure never really mounted on the backs of the English batting line-up as the incoming batters kept on scoring at a brisk rate akin an ODI contest.
This is exactly what Broad had earlier stated and which is doing rounds on the internet due to the sheer coincidence.
This Is How Stuart Broad Rightly Prophesied England Win In Leeds Test
During an interaction with Sky Sports Cricket ahead of the start of play on Day 4, Broad had stated that irrespective of the cloudy or sunny conditions, England will go ahead with the chase like a 50-over game.
“We know Headingley here, if the clouds are in it can nip around a little bit, if the sun comes out it’s generally a bit flatter. But, we sort of take our chasing a bit like a 50-over approach and 250 in a 50-over approach – you are encouraged.”
As it turned out, Woakes drove the last ball of the 50th over towards the point fence to seal a run-chase. Woakes and fast bowler Mark Wood stitched together a crucial 24-run stand for the eighth wicket to see the team home.
Mark Wood – The Star For England
The English pacer was the star for England throughout the Test. For having scalped his fourth Test five-wicket haul during the first innings and scoring 40 crucial runs across the two innings at a strike rate of over 250, he was fittingly declared the ‘Player of the Match‘.
Playing his first first-class match of the year, Wood’s sheer pace during the initial four-over spell during the first innings was one of the highlight of this Test.
