• Two-day fixture will give clue who might bat at No3 in Ashes
• 'We need to get back to training at Alice Springs this week'
Battered in Brisbane, ferociously mocked, and then rocked by the departure of Jonathan Trott, England have rarely been in greater need of a leader to drag them back on to the front foot before next week's second Test in Adelaide. In the unusual and spectacular surroundings of Uluru, and after a range of experiences including boomerang throwing and camel riding, Stuart Broad stepped forward.
Broad came through an acid test of his own strength of character with flying colours at the Gabba, returning serve to the Courier Mail with six wickets in Australia's first innings, and a defiant cameo with the bat after England had collapsed in reply. He is confident the rest of the team have the ability to do the same, and in addition to becoming the first player to go public with his support and sympathy for Trott, he suggested there would be no better way for England to boost their stricken team-mate than by turning up the heat on David Warner, his verbal tormentor.
"He scored a very good hundred when he could play with no pressure on him," Broad said of Warner's second-innings century, his first against England. "It's up to us to get runs on the board and apply some pressure to all their top order to get into a position like we did on day one in Brisbane. We know we need to get our plans right to him."
That in turn places the pressure squarely on the shoulders of England's top six, whatever shape it takes. "Adelaide is a place where you need to score big first -innings runs," added Broad. "The pitch will be very different to Brisbane. We're very focused on that."
The batting order for the two-day fixture against a Chairman's XI in Traeger Park should provide a clue to England's plans for replacing Trott. Ian Bell has said in the past that he would love a crack at the No3 position, but England may be reluctant to lose his reassuring presence at No5 after the success he enjoyed in the summer.
Joe Root emerged unbeaten and in credit from the second-innings carnage, showing again his ability to learn quickly on the job after falling quickly to Mitchell Johnson first time around. He even seemed to irritate Johnson with his cherubic smile, much as he did Warner in the Birmingham Walkabout way back in June, and that could see the Yorkshireman batting in the third different position in as many Tests.
Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow would seem to be the two leading candidates to replace Bell or Root in the lower middle order, especially after Ben Stokes failed to impress with bat or ball in his only previous tour appearance in Perth. However, all three are expected to play in Alice.
The ruthless reality is that Adelaide, rather than Trott, has to be England's priority now. "The first thing to say on that is the team are heartbroken Trotty's had to go home," added Broad. "We're very supportive of him and we're on the end of a phone when he needs us.
"We all hope he gets home and gets some privacy and the help he needs with his recovery. He's been part of the side for four or five years, he's a fantastic guy. He gave us a lot of solidity in the No3 spot. We know how much he loves playing for England so it was obviously a huge decision for him to pull out of the tour. We're fully behind him – he's got to get himself better first and foremost.
"I think this team is very good at focusing on the cricket when that time arises and although the changing room's thoughts are with Trotty, we need to get back to training at Alice Springs this week – we've got a huge task on our hands. This squad has a real steely determination and the Gabba result hurt us. We're a proud bunch and I'm sure that the performance levels will be back up to where they need to be come Adelaide. The Gabba wasn't good enough. We've shown plenty of times in the past that we can bounce back from a bad start to a series."
For Broad, alone among the England team, a repeat of his first Test performance would do pretty well – and he is relishing whatever abuse he receives on or off the field. "I think the on-the-field stuff has been fine," he said of the sledging which has become a major issue post-Brisbane, but which he described as par for the course. "It's been tough, but we're grown up, we train ourselves to expect that.
"The boos didn't affect me too much. Picking up eight wickets in the game, that can stand me in really good stead for the rest of the series. I felt in pretty good rhythm. But picking up five-fors in a losing Test match doesn't mean a lot. This match was slightly different because of the pressure and different things going on with how the Australian people have reacted, but it's about the result.
"We've got to go to Adelaide, make sure we nail that first hour, start well and get back on the train. We won't build it up as a must-win game, but we know it's important to get back individually and as a team."
Even by the recent standards of England reviving after slow starts, whether in Brisbane 2010, Colombo or most recently Ahmedabad, retaining the Ashes from here would be the ultimate demonstration of their resilience. Reported by guardian.co.uk 33 minutes ago.
• 'We need to get back to training at Alice Springs this week'
Battered in Brisbane, ferociously mocked, and then rocked by the departure of Jonathan Trott, England have rarely been in greater need of a leader to drag them back on to the front foot before next week's second Test in Adelaide. In the unusual and spectacular surroundings of Uluru, and after a range of experiences including boomerang throwing and camel riding, Stuart Broad stepped forward.
Broad came through an acid test of his own strength of character with flying colours at the Gabba, returning serve to the Courier Mail with six wickets in Australia's first innings, and a defiant cameo with the bat after England had collapsed in reply. He is confident the rest of the team have the ability to do the same, and in addition to becoming the first player to go public with his support and sympathy for Trott, he suggested there would be no better way for England to boost their stricken team-mate than by turning up the heat on David Warner, his verbal tormentor.
"He scored a very good hundred when he could play with no pressure on him," Broad said of Warner's second-innings century, his first against England. "It's up to us to get runs on the board and apply some pressure to all their top order to get into a position like we did on day one in Brisbane. We know we need to get our plans right to him."
That in turn places the pressure squarely on the shoulders of England's top six, whatever shape it takes. "Adelaide is a place where you need to score big first -innings runs," added Broad. "The pitch will be very different to Brisbane. We're very focused on that."
The batting order for the two-day fixture against a Chairman's XI in Traeger Park should provide a clue to England's plans for replacing Trott. Ian Bell has said in the past that he would love a crack at the No3 position, but England may be reluctant to lose his reassuring presence at No5 after the success he enjoyed in the summer.
Joe Root emerged unbeaten and in credit from the second-innings carnage, showing again his ability to learn quickly on the job after falling quickly to Mitchell Johnson first time around. He even seemed to irritate Johnson with his cherubic smile, much as he did Warner in the Birmingham Walkabout way back in June, and that could see the Yorkshireman batting in the third different position in as many Tests.
Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow would seem to be the two leading candidates to replace Bell or Root in the lower middle order, especially after Ben Stokes failed to impress with bat or ball in his only previous tour appearance in Perth. However, all three are expected to play in Alice.
The ruthless reality is that Adelaide, rather than Trott, has to be England's priority now. "The first thing to say on that is the team are heartbroken Trotty's had to go home," added Broad. "We're very supportive of him and we're on the end of a phone when he needs us.
"We all hope he gets home and gets some privacy and the help he needs with his recovery. He's been part of the side for four or five years, he's a fantastic guy. He gave us a lot of solidity in the No3 spot. We know how much he loves playing for England so it was obviously a huge decision for him to pull out of the tour. We're fully behind him – he's got to get himself better first and foremost.
"I think this team is very good at focusing on the cricket when that time arises and although the changing room's thoughts are with Trotty, we need to get back to training at Alice Springs this week – we've got a huge task on our hands. This squad has a real steely determination and the Gabba result hurt us. We're a proud bunch and I'm sure that the performance levels will be back up to where they need to be come Adelaide. The Gabba wasn't good enough. We've shown plenty of times in the past that we can bounce back from a bad start to a series."
For Broad, alone among the England team, a repeat of his first Test performance would do pretty well – and he is relishing whatever abuse he receives on or off the field. "I think the on-the-field stuff has been fine," he said of the sledging which has become a major issue post-Brisbane, but which he described as par for the course. "It's been tough, but we're grown up, we train ourselves to expect that.
"The boos didn't affect me too much. Picking up eight wickets in the game, that can stand me in really good stead for the rest of the series. I felt in pretty good rhythm. But picking up five-fors in a losing Test match doesn't mean a lot. This match was slightly different because of the pressure and different things going on with how the Australian people have reacted, but it's about the result.
"We've got to go to Adelaide, make sure we nail that first hour, start well and get back on the train. We won't build it up as a must-win game, but we know it's important to get back individually and as a team."
Even by the recent standards of England reviving after slow starts, whether in Brisbane 2010, Colombo or most recently Ahmedabad, retaining the Ashes from here would be the ultimate demonstration of their resilience. Reported by guardian.co.uk 33 minutes ago.