England v India: Stuart Broad concedes Test record 35 runs in an over during Edgbaston Test
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England’s new entertaining style took a bizarre turn when Stuart Broad was hit for the most expensive over in Test history by India number 10 Jasprit Bumrah.
A total of 35 runs came from Broad’s set, beating the previous record of 28, which had occurred three times.
In chaotic, comedic and downright daft scenes on the second morning of the fifth Test at Edgbaston, Bumrah swiped two sixes and four fours.
Broad’s plight was made worse by one of the sixes coming off a no-ball and another delivery going for five wides.
It meant Bumrah, a tailender with a Test average of six, set a batting record against a bowler who had just claimed his 550th career wicket.
Bumrah, standing in as India captain, also set a new record for the number of runs off the bat in a single Test over – 29.
The previous record of 28 was jointly held by Australia’s George Bailey and West Indies legend Brian Lara, meaning Bumrah has taken a batting record from one of the all-time greats of the game.
Lara dished out his punishment to South Africa spinner Robin Peterson in 2003, while Bailey’s assault was on Broad’s long-time new-ball partner James Anderson in an Ashes Test in Perth in 2013.
Coincidentally, England’s Joe Root, who was on the field at Edgbaston, had also previously bowled an over that went for 28, but only 24 of those runs were off the bat.
It is also the second time in Broad’s career he has set an unwanted record with the ball. In 2007 he became the first bowler to be hit for six sixes in a Twenty20 international when he was flayed by India’s Yuvraj Singh.
The mayhem caused by Bumrah compounded a poor morning for England, as India moved their overnight 338-7 to 416 all out.
Though England were able to remove Ravindra Jadeja for 104 and Mohammed Shami for 16, their nonsensical short-ball tactics allowed Bumrah to punish Broad in one of the strangest overs ever seen in Test cricket.
How the mayhem unfolded
‘Chaotic’, ‘astonishing’, ‘brainless’ – what they said
Former England batter Mark Ramprakash: “It was just so chaotic. It was an astonishing passage of play, largely because Stuart Broad is such an experienced bowler but England had men spread far and wide, even Ben Stokes was at long-on. It was breath-taking strokeplay with a bit of luck.
“The short-ball barrage became very predictable. Bumrah is just sat back knowing what was to come.”
Former England spinner Phil Tufnell : “I don’t understand it [the tactics]. England have done it before and it’s the definition of madness.
“I know we’re in this new fantastic era where everything’s great and everything’s positive but that is just annoying because as much as they will want to go out there and bat positively now, with 400 on the board they will also have to dig in a bit.
“I’ve never been a fan of the short-ball tactic to lower order batters, especially to guys like Shami and Bumrah who can actually play that shot well when they know it’s coming every ball. What happened to top of off stump with the new ball?
Test Match Special commentator Daniel Norcross: “I have just seen some of the most careless brainlessness I have ever seen on a cricket field. You wait 30 overs to get your hands on the new ball and decide that what you are going to do with it is bang it in short. Numbers 10 and 11 are in and there’s no slips in place!”
