England vs Ireland: Stuart Broad gets Test summer off to flying start at Lord’s
Stuart Broad #StuartBroad
Stuart Broad got England’s summer off to a flying start with three early wickets to push Ireland’s top order to the brink of collapse on the first morning of the one-off Test at Lord’s.
With James Anderson and Ollie Robinson not risked because of minor injuries – though both bowled on the outfield ahead of the start of play in a positive sign two weeks out from the Ashes – Broad shared the new ball with Matthew Potts and struck three times in his first four overs to reduce Ireland to 19 for three after Ben Stokes had won the toss and inserted the visitors.
The carnage evoked memories of the only previous Test between the sides, on the same ground four years ago, when England were themselves skittled for 85 inside the opening session, and though Paul Stirling’s counter-attack ensured things never got quite that bad, his dismissal off Jack Leach left Ireland 78 for four at lunch.
Opener PJ Moor, who is an MCC member, was Broad’s first victim, trapped lbw for ten, before captain Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector were both out without scoring, the former falling to a sharp catch by Zak Crawley in the cordon, the latter glancing to Potts at leg-slip.
Balbirnie and Tector’s wickets came in the space of three balls and Stirling looked to be following immediately when he, too, was given out for nought off Broad, only to successfully overturn an lbw decision on review.
The introduction of Leach inside the first-hour of play seemed designed to tempt the explosive Stirling into going on the offensive on the ground he called home for the best part of a decade while at Middlesex.
If so, it had the desired effect, the batter sweeping Leach’s first ball to the fence, just beyond the reach of debutant Josh Tongue, and continuing to get after the spinner throughout an entertaining knock of 30 off 35 balls, ended by a top edge to Jonny Bairstow, the ‘keeper’s first significant involvement on his return to the side after nine months out with a broken leg.
Tongue, who was handed his Test cap by Anderson ahead of the start of play in a team huddle joined by members of his family, impressed, touching speeds of 88mph in his opening spell.
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