Broady Ranks his Best Ever Bowling Spells | What Comes Higher than 8/15?

The knees are pumping. The crowd are up. The bails have been switched.

Stuart Broad took 604 Test wickets for England but became synonymous with bowling ‘those spells’.

Broad, and Jos Buttler, who had the best seat in the house for that 8/15, deep dive into Broady’s top three spells for England.

From the Oval to Johannesburg, listen to one of England’s greatest breakdown the magic.

Buy the ‘For The Love of Cricket’ Wine Case by Laithwaites, handpicked by Stuart & Jos: https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/X15614 

FREE Cold Beer glass when you buy 20 cans of Brewdog Cold Beer - use the CODE: FTLOC at checkout to redeem!

Ask Broady and Jos a question: https://qHarKG.short.gy/askFTLOC 

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Off stump when I sort of put my arm in the air like Alan
Shearer. What's happened here?
Why am I signing papers when I'mon the front page?
Bar me army at having song battles with the South Africans.
The whole crowd is on fire. Gives me the energy that I can
just keep going. Regaining the ashes of Trent
Bridge for the first ever time home ground.
All my family and friends there,Incredible day.

(00:22):
But a lot went into that. And he said, well I know you
don't drink during test matches,but if there's ever a time we've
got to share it last night haven't we?
And I was still in that daze of no, I can't.
I can't really believe that thishas happened.
I'm Josh Butler. He's Stuart Broad, a man who
took 604 Test wickets. But I think it's most memorable

(00:45):
for the spells that you bold. So we're going to take a deep
dive on some special spells fromyou, get your top three.
And I'd love to hear from you, the listeners, what are
broadest, best spells? What are the best spells you've
ever seen? Live and let us know in the
comments. That's a great idea.
We want to hear the best spells you've ever seen live.
The fifers, the tempers. Not just England bowlers,
certainly not just me. Literally the best spell you've

(01:07):
ever seen. Right, actually club cricket
specifically. If someone at your club has
taken a 10 for five for best spell you've ever seen, please
let us know in the comments. Yeah, we've all got those
bowlers, clubs, that's all they ever talk about, their best
spells, their fifers, their tempers.
Yeah, exactly what we are going to get you to do right now.
So the purpose of this episode is to get all the insights on
your best spells. I've had a look at some, but I

(01:28):
want to get you to rate your topthree.
Gosh, OK. Top three spells.
It wasn't a backhanded content, by the way.
I actually. Did sort of.
Design my mindset on changing momentum a game.
So I think, I think that was a sort of aim to do that a little
bit. Top 3815 against Australia has

(01:49):
to be in there. 2000 and. 15 I'mactually going to put that at #2
although it was my best ever figures #3 I'm going to put 2009
England, Australia at the Oval. That was, it wasn't my first
ever 5 foot, but it was the one that I, it made me think, OK, I
can do this in Test match cricket.

(02:10):
That was day 2. I think it was 5 for 30
something in one spell. And then #1 is I got 6 for it.
Johannesburg, the Wanderers, theBullring South Africa game on
the line Saturday afternoon. Crowd was pumping.
I think that was the the biggestmomentum change that I made

(02:30):
because it was mid Test match. So I think that's number one.
OK, so now ranked the top three.So let's start with #3 The Oval
2009. We've got your figures here. 12
overs, 1 maiden, 5 for 37. Now talk to me about that spell,
about the situation in the game.You were a young man that only

(02:51):
21 tests at that point, so why is that such an important spell
for you? Yes, it was the final game of
the 2009 Ashes series. I think it was 11 going into
into the Oval and Freddie Flintoff had missed the gate the
Test match before with an injurybut was retiring.
This was going to be his last ever game so he's definitely
coming back in the lead in the build up.

(03:13):
I just didn't know if it's goingto play.
You've all had those times whereyou're training but you're
unsure whether you're going to be in the team.
You don't quite know how to set yourself up for it.
I'd done OK in the Ashes series at best I got a six for it.
Headingley in a losing cause buthadn't really stamped my
authority on it and I'm playing against Ponting Watson, Hussey
Clark had an A beast of a batting lineup and we batted

(03:39):
first. Got 300 odd on the board day
one. Come in to day 2 and the Aussies
start great. I think it was Katich and Watson
opening the batting. Got to 70 for non at lunch and I
hadn't bowled. So they'd used Strauss, had used
Jimmy Anderson, Freddie Flintoff, Steve Harmerson.
Maybe I can't. Think I was the 4th seamer when

(04:01):
Graham Swan was in the attack but the the three seamers are
bold. I hadn't.
I remember walking off at lunch thinking I'm not even needed
here. Like I've not bowled at 70 for
now as a as a strike bowler, when am I going to bowl?
I got into the changing room andStrauss, he went broadly waiting
to start after lunch. You know, I need you to bring me
some energy. Just think wickets, I don't

(04:23):
care. We're at that situation now.
I don't care about runs. We need to break these
partnerships, which was quite a nice clarity for me.
And that whole lunch break I sort of started thinking, OK,
make sure I'm ready, get get a bit of a warm up done before I
go out. Don't eat too much.
Make sure I've got all the energy in the world, hydrated,

(04:43):
focused, bring the energy I want.
I want to lead this group. After lunch we got out and I
bowled the Vauxhall End at the Oval, slightly up the hill.
And I I just for the first time my whole Test career is early on
I bowled just for wickets, didn't care about runs.
And that's sounds an odd thing to say because your job is to
take wickets. But you have to free your mind

(05:04):
up to not be scared to go for a four and Test match cricket.
Because when you run in in frontof 30,000 people and you bowl a
long half volley and Shane Watson whacks it for four, that
feeling is. Oh, Oh no.
Everyone's just watching me go for Oh no, now if he hits me for
another 4. So there's a freedom to let go
and that was the first spelling testament.
I let go. I got the ball in my hand.

(05:25):
I hit Watson early. I think that might have been my
first ever celeb appear actually.
I just ran down like knew it wasout and that gave me the
confidence go do you know what? This pitch suits me a little
bit, a little bit of seam movement, tall bowler hitting
the pitch, but it's not bouncingloads so I can still hit the
stumps. So Watson when first of all, and
it was me and Swanee Graham Swanbowling together in tandem.

(05:47):
So I was getting no rest. You know, Swanee's to get
through his overs really quickly, which was good because
it didn't give me time to overthink.
It just allowed me to get in that mindset of OK, Ricky
Ponting's in what am I going to do to him?
And my plan to Ponting was always try and bring him forward
because he was so quick onto theshort ball.
I wanted to bring him forward and, and, and not, not drive

(06:09):
down the ground, not that full, but drive through the covers.
So I was able to push the ball up.
I don't think I've ever actuallysaid this because it looks like
I bowled him a really nice cutter into the surface that
jacked back and he chopped onto his stumps.
I actually just landed really badly and I was too
inexperienced, too young to knowwhat I was doing really.
And I landed badly. My front arm failed me and it

(06:32):
came out as an off cutter and bowled him, but I ran off like,
yeah, yeah, great ball, great thinking, great thinking.
I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Great thinking.
Yeah. So Ponting was suddenly gone.
I've got 2 Watson, Ponting. I'm starting to move a bit.
The energy of the Oval is beautiful, sunny day.
That crowd there just starts getting going and gets behind
you. And then Hussey came in and the

(06:52):
plan to Mike Hussey was always don't let him leave the ball.
He just wants to. He gets in by leaving.
Has played a lot at the Wacker where the ball in Perth, where
the ball bounces. He leaves on length.
Let's try and make him play every single ball.
So I tried to start with in swingers to him to make sure I
hit the stumps and I bowled thisin swinger and I saw his hands

(07:15):
going up to leave it. But I knew immediately that was
the length that was going to hitthe stumps and his hands kept
rising. I thought he's leaving this
leaving. And then last second he jammed
his hands down but it caught hispad before his bat dead out,
gone. So I just charge off running.
Billy Bowden I think it was, gave him out with the crooked

(07:36):
finger. So suddenly I'm moving, I'm
running, Swanee gets cut at the other end and we're flying.
And now I'm not thinking about anything.
I'm not necessarily thinking toomuch about plans.
I'm just cruising through no must drive pad and hitting the
pitch, holding the seam up straight and seeing what comes.
And Strauss had done a bit of work on Michael Clarke, who was

(07:56):
in next about chipping the ball at cover.
So we put Jonathan Trott, who was on debut and at cover as a
catching position, just as a bitof a, you know, sometimes you
put fielding positions in not because the ball necessarily
goes in the air there, but just to get in someone's eye line or
for them to think, OK, I might not drive at this ball as much
as I should. And we put Trotty there and

(08:18):
Clark just chipped it straight to great feeling, you know, not
a good ball, swinging half volley, locks on my side.
And then Brad Haddon came out. I hadn't really thought I'm on
4th or anything. You know, I'm just, I'm just in
the flow. I'm going back to fine leg.
Crowd had given me a big cheer. I'm giving them a big cheer back
ago. Ball in hand and I bowled what I

(08:39):
thought was quite a straight ball at him, but he sort of
tried to hit me through mid wicket and it hit the top of
off. So it looks like a Dale Stain
Jaffa. I still think Hawkeye would show
that. Didn't move, but I'll take it
off stump when I sort of put my arm in the air like Alan
Shearer. 5 for five for 30 odds,first meaningful FIFA and

(09:01):
Freddie's last ever Test match when we were walking off, we'd
bowled Australia out with a really good lead.
So it wasn't the Ashes wasn't done, but it was looking pretty
good. We knew we had to win that Test
match to win the series. And Freddie put his arm around
me walking off and sort of in that nice way that he does just

(09:22):
sort of said, I'm ready to go, as, you know, I can pass it on,
you know. Yeah, that was an amazing spell.
Well done, mate. And, you know, that that felt
felt incredible. And it it was the next couple of
days that made me realise the the sort of what's the right
word, what Ashes Cricket means to people.
I suddenly came down the steps the next day and I'm on the

(09:43):
front page of papers. Like what?
Whoa, what's happened here? Like, why am I signing papers
when I'm on the front page, you know?
And I think winning that Ashes series, lifting that little earn
in front of the pavilion at the Oval, everyone on their feet,
everyone cheering was why that spell makes into my top three.
Because it was me playing the match in that game, arriving on

(10:05):
Test cricket and actually my teammates going, oh, this guy
can this guy can bowl. This guy can do the job.
Yeah, that's really leading intosort of the, obviously you said
20 odd tests into your career. That's the sort of spell that
kick started everything. Did you have in county cricket
before age group cricket before this sort of this way of bowling

(10:28):
match winnings? But did you know you had that?
And you're obviously not at thatlevel at that point.
But were you that type of bowleror do you believe that is a type
of bowler, streaky bowler who can bowl incredible spells
obviously in a balanced kind of attack.
But had you sort of transferred what you'd done in county
cricket and stuff into an England shirt or was did you
feel like this is the style of something new?

(10:49):
I'm can be this style of bowler and bowl these type of spells.
Good question. Yeah, I, I got 7 for 12 against
Kim Bolton under fifteens, whichwas my best figures for a long
time, I think till But yeah, I knew I could always get decent
players out. So when I started playing for
Leicestershire as a 1819 year old 19 year old kid, I remember

(11:13):
getting Graham Hick out and thinking that's Graham Hick.
I've watched him my whole career, well on teletext
admittedly, but you know, I've watched him absolute gun of
county cricket, played fifty tests for England and I'd nicked
him off with a really good ball,bounced and I knew that I better
players brought the best out of me.
I knew that when I was bowling at the overseas players in

(11:36):
county cricket or they're betterplayers, I just found something
more, just found something that would be a good ball that that
worked. And maybe the England sectors
saw that because I played four or five Championship games for
Leicestershire and then was on in the England set up.
Not not the team, but training camps like they're called

(11:58):
England Lions, the one below theEngland team on those sort of
camps suddenly. With Alastair Cook and.
You know, so I always had the ability to rise to the bigger
occasion I think, but but that was the first time I did it
properly. On the international scene, it's
very different rising to the bigoccasion on Counting County
cricket. I got big wicket in the T20
Blast final in 2006, felt amazing, got Ronnie Irani for

(12:21):
naughty, which was a huge wicketof the day.
But then when you step up to thebig stage, it's a very different
thing stepping up against the best players at Test level
because they're just, they just keep coming at you.
So you so there at lunch, obviously Nandan Strauss who
says, Brody, you're going to come on this spell.
I just want you to go for wickets.

(12:43):
Is there a part of you as a bowler that is?
I'm sure there's many times where I'm going to make an
impact and for whatever reason it doesn't work.
But do you get a sense or a feeling?
Obviously you said an early wicket in that spell and you you
let go and you just went for it.How do you get that feeling?
This is going to be one of thosespells and you've bowled I think

(13:03):
12 overs on the spin there. So with Swanee at the other end,
no rest. Do you feel like you can bowl
forever when you're in that? So tell us a little bit about
the feelings that you get or theemotion and how important maybe
the captain or your team mates are and the crowd in in that
kind of situation. You feel lighter.
So you to mention a 12 over spell, I think my 815 was a nine

(13:24):
and a half over spell. I feel like I could bowl all
day. You don't feel like it's really
exhausting. You particularly, you've got a
brilliant stride pattern. And the older I got, you know,
when I was 2122, you just grabbed the ball and go and I
didn't really connect to what was making those spells good.
But the older I got, I felt likeI got a bit more consistent in

(13:44):
delivering against bigger players or bigger moments
because I could recognize them. And I'd find a way to get my
stride pattern nice and short, find a way to engage the crowd
working with the captain of saying, I feel on here, if
there's something's clicking, give me a good spell.
All all my really great spells would would have a wicket in the
first 3 overs. So the key to it, I would always

(14:08):
say if I haven't got to wicket my first 3 overs, don't, don't
start searching and chasing. Just know, OK, well, this isn't
going to be one of those magicalspells settling do my job for
the team. Maybe try the odd wicket taking
delivery fuller or shorter, but but do the job get off.
It might be someone else's day. Maybe well, five overs if I get

(14:28):
a wicket, my first two overs to eat a cookie or Rooty or
Stokesy, come on, you know, let me go here.
I'm feeling great. You know, this end suits me.
New batters, I can expose their weaknesses in the 1st 10 balls,
all that sort of thing. So it's a communication with the
captain for sure. It's the teammates being aware
that that spell is working for you, diving on everything,

(14:51):
taking catches, not letting batters get an easy single,
getting that sort of flow and and rhythm of Test match cricket
that keeps the intensity high, keeps pressure on the batters
the whole time. The whole team are ready when
the new batter walks to the crease, so they don't get time
to see what the sights was doing, see what the lights doing
settle to the crowd. You're on and suddenly you're
running in before they're even really done.

(15:13):
Their processes and routine, allthe tiny little things that you
can you can put pressure on batters with and to me,
definitely the crowd. I look at all my all my really
great spells. Ashes 09 crowd were up and about
roaring because we had to beat Australia in one game to win the
Ashes 2015 eight for 15. Trent Bridge home ground felt

(15:36):
magical. Crowd were with me.
They're all on me. So, you know, I was going with
that rhythm. Johannesburg, the Boring
Wanderers, Saturday afternoon. You walk into enemy territory,
it's alive, it's bouncing by thearmy of them having song battles
with the South Africans. The whole crowd is on fire.
Gives me the energy that I can just keep going.

(15:58):
So yeah, there's definitely a connection with that with that
crowd that keeps me in that zonefor longer.
But I'm not out there going, Oh yeah, I'm going to get 6 here.
I feel, you know, I've got it ona string.
This is what I'm doing. I'm just staying very present
with everything. And when we talk about my 3
spells that I class as the top three, all of them have a

(16:21):
consistency and that is the crowd were as up as me.
This really interests how you mention how much of A team
effort that is and people divingaround the energy from your
teammates. It's not Obviously you get the
rewards and the wickets and the spell, but how much of A A-Team
thing that is? And I'm thinking about that from
a batter's perspective. When you walk into that, it's so

(16:41):
high, it's like AI sort of imagine it as a tidal wave of
energy against you. And obviously the, you know, the
dressing rooms are mad scramble,wickets are falling quickly,
rushing to get your pads on. You're running out there because
you don't want to be timed out and inexperienced players are
almost trying to rush quickly. If you're a bathroom before you
know it, now you're running in and facing the first ball and

(17:02):
I'm nowhere near the mental capacity that I need to be to to
try and defend that ball, leave that ball, make a good decision,
you know, work out. Do I need to try and ride this?
Spell out me and my partner, Tryand take some sting out of the
game, slow you down. Maybe when you run up, pull away
and try and upset your rhythm. But on the other end, does that

(17:24):
help the bowler more because it's more energy that's then
coming against us because we're giving you an edge or do I need
to counterattack? But does that look like I'm
panicking because I'm just trying to hit my way out of this
spell? So what I feel like as a bat is
everything is going so fast. Like you've mentioned, you're
trying to rush me. You're trying to do that.
And I'm trying to think of like who the best players are at sort

(17:47):
of throwing a towel over that fire when that spell is
happening. And they do seem to push their
chest out more fake that they'rein control even if they're not
pull away, slow the game down. Maybe it's someone behind the
site screen that's not even there, but it just try and take
the sting out of it because it just feels like the momentum

(18:08):
just gathers. You believe it as a bowler, as a
wicketkeeper and a slips. You feel like the ball's going
to be coming to every every ball's going to be a chance or a
wicket taking delivery. The crowd are expectant and it's
just you as on your own or you know your your partner feels
miles away at the other end and isn't helping you at all.
He's just sort of thinking, I'm glad I'm down this end, not down

(18:29):
that end. And on that, I would then say to
mid on or cover point, get in tight.
I don't want Joss going bang cover point, I'm off strike.
I want you feeling that pressurefor 10 balls.
So I'd have that convo with mid on or whoever's in a single
saving position. I don't care about four right
now. If they want to come and drive
me through the cover for four happy days, do not give them

(18:52):
one. And I also want you to walk to
the crease and I'll put 4 slips in or a short leg.
So you think there's quite a fewgaps, but you're not thinking
about the gaps right now. You're thinking quite they're on
the attack. I make a mistake here that's
going to go to the slips. So it would be a mental shift
for me to go. I'm going to really attack my
field because I know that I'm ina rhythm where I can land the

(19:14):
ball where I want to land it. So I'm not going to give you an
easy. Gap, easy out or a short ball
that you pull away for four, I'mgoing to make you play a full
defence. With everyone around you and if
it nips, you're in trouble. Yeah, I think as well, one line
I've heard a bit in Test match cricket is, you know, times you
attack with the ball and defend with the field or you defend
with the field and then attack with the ball.

(19:35):
I think for people listening to hear you say I'm going to bowl
wicket taking deliveries, they'll be thinking why don't
you just do that every ball, Youknow, like why wouldn't you be
trying to get a wicket every ball?
So what are the differences thenin the lengths or the style or
the letting go of economy rate, for example?
But when you're saying they're these spells, you're, you're
attacking with the ball and you're really attacking with the

(19:57):
field. The art of bowling really is
adapting to the pitch and and finding out what suits you, what
length suits you, what length hits the top of off stump and
looking at the batter down the other end and seeing what
they're doing as well. Some might be walking across the
stumps more so you can tighten your line up to hit the stumps,
or you go a bit wider to try andfind the edge, sort of adapting

(20:18):
to what really is suiting you that day.
But I think the beauty of fast bowling and well, cricket in
general, every day is so different and it is that art of,
of figuring it out for yourself out there.
And I always kept quite tight with me.
I grew up playing club cricket, Fredgeten Park.
I didn't have stats and analystson who was walking out to bat,

(20:38):
you know, So I tried, I was always aware of that in Test
cricket. But I tried to be the one out
there with the ball in my hand to figure it out, whether it's
Ricky Ponting or Michael Clarke or Steve Smith, can I figure out
how best to get them out that day, if they're moving slightly
differently or if conditions areslightly different like I would

(20:59):
have done in 2002 Freshman Park?And that communication with the
whole bowling group, the captain, all of that is like I
said before, not just your spell, it's everyone.
So if Jimmy's at mid off next toyou and then you've got a new
batter on strike, he's bowling over maybe at the other end,
it's this might be working straight away.
Try this or that. Does it feel like in these

(21:20):
spells, you know, you mentioned put Jonathan drop the cover and
it just goes to like these kind of things coincidence and they
just happen? Or is it again, that sort of
momentum and the belief, and that's psychology actually, of
you believe every ball is going to be a wicket, your team mates
do, the crowd do. And as a batter you feel like

(21:40):
everything, like everything's going against me, Like I've,
I've just got the one bad ball, he's bowling this over, I've
clipped straight to square leg, It's another dot ball.
The pressure's still on me, there's no release.
Does it feel like you could do almost anything at that point
and the wickets will come or even if you you don't get a
wicket, you'll get away with it?I think communication, that

(22:02):
point, it's huge. If if anyone's playing club
cricket or any sort of cricket over the week or weekend,
whoever you're bowling with at their end, get at mid on when
you're bowling. And when I was growing up it was
that mindset. I think Caddick and Goff, you'd
bowl, you're over, go down to fine leg.
Yeah, the bowler would bowl, go down to fine leg.

(22:22):
So you'd bowl for an hour together but not say a word
unless you got a wicket and had a chat.
What Jimmy and I tried to do is be next to each other the whole
time, so each over we could go, I'm seeing this in your run up.
Have you tried this or actually I think you need to get a bit
full of this over because you'vebeen in that length now for for
10 balls. Try a bouncer.

(22:43):
You talk about the leg cutter. And it's not throwing
information every ball because Jimmy would politely tell me,
well, probably not that politelytell me where to go.
But it's talking, it's sharing information, it's being
vulnerable. It's actually saying I feel
awful today. I can't get this right.
Can you see anything from your side that I can try?
Can we maybe switch ends? Just not feeling that the

(23:03):
rhythm's not there. So I would recommend at whatever
level, get someone next to you who's bowling at the end because
you can just learn so much live.You know, and ultimately your
job as a bowler is to know more about conditions and get the
better of the batter at the other end.
And ultimately, you don't actually have that much time.
If you're going to bowl 5 overs 30 balls, you don't want to

(23:23):
waste any of them. If you can improve that decision
making and execution of your skill, then that's going to make
you more impactful. The team effort point is such a
big one. Ultimately you're out there as
11 people trying to get 10 wickets as quickly as you can to
get yourself in a better situation in the game, so
feedback from everyone. 'S important, but when I say

(23:44):
that I don't mean that that means 10 fielders are coming to
you the whole time going try this, what about Yorker?
Try an inn swinger, try to bounce her because that would
just cause chaos out there. I think you have key players.
The wicketkeeper's vital. For me helps me with alignment.
Sees it from a probably the bestangle on the on the on the
ground. So you just played a lot of

(24:06):
tests with Matt Proves and yeah,good mates.
So he is. What sort of things is he saying
in between overs to you sort of what is he spotting or And you
said there's maybe a few key guys there.
So he's 1 Jimmy, you're your bowling partner at mid on.
Where do you want the captain inthat sense?
And what are the golden Nuggets that you want to hear and what
is just white noise that you know, the rest of the team are

(24:29):
maybe just trying to put the batter off or create something?
I think generally the team wouldfeedback either through the wiki
keep or the captain. So that's the communication
lines. That's the communication lines.
And then sometimes I've had times where Jimmy might be on
the edge of emotion and the captain comes to me go, I'm

(24:49):
seeing this, can you feed that back to Jimmy?
So we'd go down that route and I'd be the same.
Sometimes the captain would go to Jimmy and say can you feed
this back and this is what we'reseeing.
But other times, you know, the captain's got a lot going on.
Bowling changes, field placements.
They need lieutenants out there and the wicketkeeper generally
would be that Lieutenant. For me personally, help me with

(25:11):
alignment. The bat is leaving you too well
from my ankle. Thought about getting wider on
the crease or the bat is now taken off stump guard.
Think about one ball this over full straight at the stumps
backward point. I used to use a lot.
So Olly Pope back end of my career would come to be say the
batter's now foot out the creasetrying to take the LBW out of

(25:34):
it. I've got to then adjust my
length, adjust my mindset on DRS, the division decision
review system, because I need toknow if it's going over the
stumps or not over the stumps. So it is very much a team game,
but also at Test match level, you'd hope everyone's got enough
awareness of the game not to just fire information the whole

(25:55):
time. If we know the plan is bowl 5th
stump at Steve Smith, we don't need square leg running in the
whole time going try to leg someYorkie.
You know, I think it's worth a go because then if I do that
routine or Stokes, you're like, that's not the plan.
Like what you thinking? So yeah, communication channels
are important. Jimmy was a natural feedback for

(26:15):
me. Wicketkeeper had the best view
of alignment and what line I waslooking to bowl and how was my
energy. So when when you were out there
keeping to me, I'd want you going.
You're a bit down. Your body language isn't quite
where you need it to be. Ruddy because I was a big modern
body language and always about chest to the sky, eyes above the
horizon. That sort of feedback's crucial.

(26:36):
No point telling me at 7:00 PM when the day's done, so that I
think the week keeper's always live in the game.
So that sort of information was crucial and Captain was
tactical. Yeah, just on that, I wouldn't
say that relationship with prior, I don't think it made it
into your your top three, but the spell at Chester history I'm
sure. Did you have a bit of a a Barney
at tea or a bit of a? Yeah, A.
Bit of a conversation and but obviously maybe he knew what

(27:00):
he's trying to do to get the best out of you.
Yeah, so it was actually 2013 sort of game on the line really,
4th innings. The ball had been nipping around
all, all game. 300 was a really good score and I think the
Aussies were chasing around 300 and it got to the stage of being
nearly 150 for one. I'd bought a bit short.

(27:20):
I'd been trying to take wickets.Warner is playing really nicely.
We'd been really good throughoutthe whole series at that sort of
top of off occasional bouncer and I think I particularly was
trying too much. I think just before T bowled a
short bull at Warner and he he sort of sliced me over D point
for four and we walked off like we need to change something
here. We're all aware of that.

(27:42):
And you know, prior sort of so to the whole bowling group, but
because I was the one who was bowling at that time was guys,
what are we doing here? We've got away from our plans.
We're moping around. We're feeling sorry for
ourselves that we're going for four.
We're not actually executing what we should be on this pitch.
You know, there's a bit of up and down movement.

(28:04):
Bitter could be a bit of reverseswing out there.
Let's get our body language better.
Let's fire up like this is AshesCricket.
What are we doing? I wouldn't say it was a Ding
Dong. And the fact that I went back
saying you're wrong, that's a load of rubbish.
But I did say I'm trying to best, you know, it's not.
We're not deliberately bowling bad balls.
We're trying to, we're trying todo it.
We're maybe just trying a bit too hard.
So it's about a 10 minute, whichI think all the best teams have

(28:27):
those sort of conversations at times, don't they?
And then yeah, when? After tea, and I can't remember
how, I think I ended up with five or or 6 for in that, in
that after tea moment and we ended up winning, winning the
Ashes, that spell. I'm not saying it was all
because of that tea break, but that feedback is crucial because
if he'd have just kept that inside and just said it the next

(28:50):
morning or after a day's play, the situation, the whole
scorecard might look different. So I was a big one for that live
feedback. Let's have a little tea break of
our own and then we'll get into #2 which I think should be a lot
of people's number one, which isthe 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge.
Here's a question for you. Which teammate would be the

(29:11):
first to crack open a cold beer after a Lord's Test win?
Other than you. But I'll be up there.
Jimmy Anderson, Jimmy Brew Dog is now the official Bear of
Lords. If you're a Test match, the
Blast, the 100, or anything elsethis summer, you'll notice that
Brew Dog loves cricket as much as we do.
That's not just sound effects, that's an actual sound of a cold

(29:33):
beer being opened. It's actually called cold beer.
It is Jose. It's a 3.4% lager, perfect for
the day at the cricket. It's also got a Peach variety
too if you fancy trying that. One and listeners to our
podcasts can get a free glass. It's an exclusive offer just for
you if you go to brewdog.com/forthe Love of Cricket.
Tell you what, put the link in our episode description.

(29:54):
Well played, Josh. Yeah, good idea.
Hit the link in the episode description by 20 cans and we'll
Chuck in a free cold beer glass.You need to use a code though,
so at checkout make sure you usethe code FTLOC.
Yep, use the code FTLOC and you'll get a free glass on us.
For the love of cold beer, give it a try in your new cold beer
glass. Right, my second best ever

(30:19):
spell, 8 for 15. England, Australia, Trent
Bridge. You were keeping, gosh, unlucky
not to be won, I think. It is unlucky and I sort.
Of people's number one. When I'm saying that I do it
should be 1, but there was a lotof emotion and and drive in my

(30:39):
#1 so I think about better in my#1.
That's why this is number 2. But 815 regaining the ashes at
Trent Bridge for the first ever time home ground.
All my family and friends there.Incredible day.
But a lot, a lot went into that.You know, I, I think I look back
at that, Jimmy. I had a side strain at
Edgebaston the Test match beforeand was unavailable for the for

(31:04):
this Test match. It was a back-to-back Test
match, so I was going to bowl the first ball of a Test match
for the first ever time. I'd never done it.
I think I played sort of 8090 test matches at this time and
I'd never had that pressure of that first ball running in crowd
expecting. So that was in my mind for sure.
And that's for saying had done acolumn the day before, sort of

(31:28):
aligning to the fact pressure onBroad, all on Broad, you know,
no, Anderson, no leader. That could be England's problem
type thing. And you try not to read up.
I remember playing golf the day before, but aware that that had
come out. And I actually remember walking
onto the field, seeing NASA working for this guy, sort of
smiling at him. And he smiled back, you know,

(31:49):
that sort of thing. And not many people or maybe
people know. I actually thought we should
have batted first. Which unbelievable, you see the
state of that wicket and you typical bowler again now if
there's bat. 1st so there was, there was.
So when it's your home Test match, the captain always comes
to you and goes what you thinking of the pitch?

(32:09):
You played here a lot, what do you think?
And I was a big believer at Trent Bridge.
If there's a bit of moisture in the surface, you bat because it
seems slowly day one, then the sun hits it, it hardens up and
it speeds up and seems quickly, which is more nickable.
Day 2. That was my theory and I would
like to say the stats back that up.

(32:30):
I would like to say that. So I said to Cookie, do you know
what bit of grass on the pitch? But I think it's a bat fur.
So he sort of nodded at me and Iwent to mark my run up out as I
always did before the toss and I'm putting my, I was put a
straight line with a #8-ON and Shane Warne's walking up to me
like he did every morning. Loads of energy.

(32:52):
Are you brought it? Yeah, good mate.
Yeah, he's a, that's a bowl first, innit?
I thought, oh, Shane Warne's saying that he was, he's bat 1st
99% of the time. Have I got this wrong?
Have I got this wrong? So I sort of finished my run.
I walked over to Cookie Chef. Chef rethought it.
You know, it might be a bowl first.
You know, he goes, yeah, yeah, don't worry, I've already made

(33:13):
that decision. OK, cool, cool, cool.
So knew we were going to bowl ifwe want the toss and chef won
the toss, were having a ball. And there's that feeling.
I find the toss such a unique, weird experience because, and
that's why I like to watch everysingle one live.
I was never warming up with the toss of the coin went up.
I was always just watching it. And you're either going to be

(33:35):
under the most pressure, you're going to be in your career every
day running into ball, the firstball of a Test match, Ashes
Cricket series on the line, or you're going to go make a cup of
tea, sit down and watch the batsgo out.
So it's complete opposite end ofthe spectrum of what happens
with a 5050 toss of the coin. So we're going to have a bowl
and your stomach sort of goes a bit.

(33:57):
So my day, that's on me. Then I've got to set the tone.
And Trevor Bayliss, our coach, have made a big play that that
week of setting the tone, whether you're the batter or the
bowler, getting into the game, setting the tone for the team.
So I walk off, get my kit on andI walked back out and a couple
of things happened that just as I lifted my emotion in a way or,

(34:20):
or something was looking after me in in some way.
So Clive Rice had passed away and we did a minute's silence
before the start of play. Clive had played a lot with my
dad. Families were very close.
I didn't know loads about it buthad a few phone calls with him.
But the Knots crowd, Big overseas player for
Nottinghamshire, Knotts crowd, full of emotion, that clap at

(34:40):
the end for him. I was like, wow, like that.
That feels a real connection between Nottinghamshire and
cricket. Then there was a sprinkler rain,
which no one ever talks about. Can't even.
Remember that. Yeah, you, you look, we start,
we started at like 11 O 4 sprinkler rain, but not enough
for the covers to come out. So just gave the pitch a lovely

(35:01):
Sheen. So we get out and I bought the
first ball. Obviously a bit nervous setting
the tone and slipped because of that bit of rain.
So I get some sawdust and Alim Da I think is the umpire said I
think that was really close to being a noble.
So be careful. So that was sort of was the
first thing that came into my mind.

(35:21):
OK, like need to get my feet right here.
Ran in the next ball, think it was a leg by for four and again
felt horrible. His foot slipped.
It's like, come on, I need to settle here and leave again
close to the line, bring it backnext ball.
Rogers Snick. Can't remember.
It went Cookie or rooty. You might remember, Yeah.

(35:43):
Not. You have gone for it.
Caught out my first and when I watched this back my first
thought. I hope that's not noble.
You turned round. Straight So I turned straight to
Ali DAR and looked at him and hewas sort of looking at it
walking over to him. I'm like, Oh my God.
And he said, he said out. So, you know, so such a weird

(36:04):
first reaction. But just because my first couple
of balls I hadn't settled and then in got a wicket, it was
actually my 300th Test wicket, which I hadn't hadn't really
thought about, you know, that that wasn't.
I find that quite interesting because you say leading into
that day that could well have been That's a huge milestone for
Test cricket to be actually one of soon as that toss goes, this

(36:24):
could be the day I get my 300th Test wicket for England.
Yeah, other priorities were higher.
Getting into the game, setting the tone, bowling first home
ground, Trent Bridge emotion that so hadn't really crossed my
mind. Other occasions had when I when
I had got my 100th. I remember that day I was oh
God, I'm right desperate to get 100 Test wickets.
But this, this hadn't really. So Chris Rogers had gone for a

(36:48):
duck think his first nought in Test cricket.
OK, I'm away, I'm in. And Steve Smith came out got a 2
again. So I bowled around the wicket to
Rogers, slipped a bit, got the swordust down.
Now over the wicket, the right-handed Smith slip again,
sorta scratch it up, like try and get some moisture out of

(37:08):
this foothold. He'd hit me for two.
Then I over pitched, he whacked me through the covers for four.
So I'm now 5 balls in. It's 10 for one, which is a
really unusual scoreboard. But I actually I looked back, I
clapped him and I remember feeling like, OK, that's a
really good shot for me because I knew there was a bit of sea
movement. I knew he his energy's going

(37:29):
because he's played a massive drive And at Trent Bridge,
what's 1 of the number one rulesis don't drive for your 1st 20
balls or so. I clapped him sort of said like
shot Smith. He like good for me, good for
me. Walk back really buoyed by it,
although I'd gone for four next ball just seemed that beautiful
half bat width back for Nick grabbed it.

(37:50):
I think Ian Bell at the third slip maybe.
And we're away. 10 for two. Crowder up, you know, for two
wickets in the first over of a crucial Test match.
Yes, I've gone for 10, but I'm away.
The team are away. But but the biggest moment of
that whole day was the next ball.
Mark Wood ran in in swinger to David Warner.

(38:11):
Little feather think through to you.
Yeah, straight to. Me did you know immediately side
edge so bang 3 for three for after 7 balls.
Woody's in the action. Everyone's in a bit of that
state of what the hell is going on here, what's happening?
Crowd are still sort of just stirring their coffees, sitting
down and then three down. The crowd are then in, they're

(38:34):
engaged, they're on. And that's when the motion came.
It's incredible really. There's actually some of the
stuff that you're saying that I'm there and I can't quite
remember, but now you're saying I instantly remember that turn
back. And obviously for the whole
team, it's quite an unusual reaction with the bowl to see
like, Oh my God, I hope that's out.
And then for Smith being such a big player in their side, huge

(38:55):
100 double hundred and he get Lords.
So that wicket and they're sort of they're those times, aren't
they? And you're and there's only
maybe you could count them on one hand where these kind of
things happen in a game. And I was having that
realisation of like, this is oneof those moments.
They're 2:50 in the biggest Testmatch at the biggest most
important time. If we win this Test match, we

(39:17):
win the Ashes series, and you'resort of in disbelief that this
is one of those times where the wickets are tumbling, there's
delirium of everyone running around.
Let's say the crowd are scrambling.
They can't, you know, barely take in the seat.
And it's like, Oh my God, have you seen the score?
Everyone's that. And you can imagine, as we've
talked about earlier, the Australian dressing room is, you

(39:38):
know, let's say some guys batting #5 we're like, oh,
that's sweet, nice. So I'll sit down for a bit and
watch and then suddenly scrambling around, pads on out
the dressing room door, someone's coming in effing and
blinding because they just got out.
It's carnage, isn't it? And that tidal wave of energy,
like I said, it's just all with us.
And, but do you feel the pressure then when it's

(40:00):
happening to keep that? Or is that sort of a this is
brilliant, we've got it, let's just run with it.
That this is brilliant. Let's run with it.
I'm conscious I don't want to just go and then Sean Marsh came
in and get it away. But Marsh came in and for his
first Test of the series and gota goodie nipped away.
And and when you get pitches that aren't jagging everywhere
they're doing half a bat with, that is perfect because batters

(40:24):
are playing. Felt like no one played a miss.
No one played a miss. It was like a nick or the middle
of the bat really. So probably the most famous ball
or or moment of that was when Stokesy took the best catch I've
seen live from 22 yards. Voges bit fuller, big drive and
Stokesy just threw out this right hand at 4th slip and it

(40:47):
stuck. It went so fast.
It was incredible. And then I pulled this sort of
daft, like unbelievable amaze and it was just genuine
amazement. It happened in the blink of an
eye. His reactions were incredible
and I sort of knew then, wow, we're on to something here.
Look at every great spell or or moment where teams get bowled

(41:09):
out cheap. There's always a great catch in
there or a run out and Stokes hetaking that.
I think everyone on the field was just charging with emotion.
Then it was it was the moment Alley sprinting around from fine
leg running and there's a brilliant moment where Stokes
has caught it and Johnny Bastos at short leg and Stokes he's
running off like how young does he look like a babyface charging

(41:32):
with amazement. And Johnny goes to give him a
high 5. Stokes, he doesn't see him and
tramples tramples over him like a like an inside centre on an
inside centre and he just runs over him.
Johnny falls backwards and just is on the floor.
I remember chasing Stokes and running past Johnny like.
Never bother with Johnny of. Course he on the floor.
Sorry, Johnny, I'm going to get Stokes here.

(41:53):
And that was definitely a momentof we're flying as a team here.
Everyone was smiling, Everyone'ssensing something special.
To be honest, Even if they go and get 200 here, we're in a
great position. So that was definitely a moment
where I thought, this is awesome.
No way. And the thing with those spells
as well, they say they could go on and get 200, but that was it,

(42:14):
just continued. It just you always think at some
point there'll be a partnership or someone will play, someone
will be able to push back and sort of build something, but it
just never, never came. Let's say there was never really
a play and miss. I just think from a
wicketkeeper's perspective as well, that first morning of a
Test match, you know, I was, yousort of want to feel the ball in

(42:36):
your hands a bit and get into the rhythm.
You almost don't mind if someone's leaving the ball.
A bit. You're going to say you want to
get into it. All I was doing is hit in the
middle of the bat. But it's just like a, you know,
I've got my own. No, but it's just in one over it
dissipates and you're like this is it this is the moment
everything is going our way and you've bowled a few spells like
that by that time. Now you mentioned #3 is back in

(43:00):
2009. I think you've had a couple of
again. Is that you just so in the
moment that that's never part ofit or you like because I feel
like as a keeper and the slips at that point where that brought
his. This is one of his spells.
That was always something we talked about, I would say as a
keeper and slips, whether you came on and it was like I hope
this is one of his spells or youget a wicket and it's it's

(43:22):
almost like you're nudging each other like this is going to be
something special. Can't wait to see the next half
an hour, 45 minutes unfold. There was definitely something
unique in that spell because when Stokes, he took that great
catch we had, all that moment ofthat was incredible.
It comes on the big screen and the crowds see it again and then
you hear them go, we're all highfiving again and Voges is out.

(43:47):
I think Neville, maybe Neville comes in at 7.
Is that 5 down already? Maybe.
Yeah, it would be. And I got back to the end of my
mark and I had something that happens on the odd occasion in
fast bowling, but not necessarily in a spell where
you're bowling brilliantly. I stood at the end of my mark.
I had all my mind had been dragged everywhere, you know,

(44:07):
new batters coming in, emotion, home ground.
And I stood there and I could not for the life of me think, do
I set off with my right or left foot for the life of me?
And that sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud, but I always
have my mark with the straight line number 8.
And I always used to hit it withmy right foot.
But I'm stood there middle, likethe batter's now waiting for me,

(44:29):
put the ball in my hand. I'm going.
I don't know. I don't know which foot.
I don't know which foot hits that mark.
And I set off and I over, I, I got it wrong.
My stripe pattern was gone. I got the ball down and actually
if I watch that spell back, there's a few I locked down the
leg side to you now and you're scrambling and my stripe pattern
are completely gone and it's. As simple as you settle through

(44:50):
the left instead of the. Right.
Well, yeah, I just could not figure it out for that ball.
And when my mind started thinking about silly things or
had been distracted and not ableto focus on just what is.
It's a habit. It's a it's a rhythm.
It's something I've done 20,000 times by then.
I sing a song because then my mind focuses on the song and I'm

(45:15):
away from thinking is this left or right foot on a on a line
you're. Going to break out into song,
yeah? Not going to break out into song
but I always sung mambo #5 because because a it reminded me
of cricket as a kid. Channel 4 highlights and it was
that rhythm of like 12345 so I'dget to the end of my mind.
We got a little bit out of you. I'd get the end of my mark and

(45:36):
I'd sing it. Lou Bega 12345 everybody and by
the time I'd some that 1-2 I'm into my run up and flow.
So it took me 3 or 4 balls to figure out my stride pattern
again and then by the end of that Michael Clarke at edge one
to slip and I was quite happy with that wicket.

(45:56):
Although it's a really bad ball.We'd played the whole deep
square leg, go out, fine leg move finer signal and wave at
everyone that you're going to bowl a short ball.
And the plan was bowling away, swinger full.
And I got it way too wide and henicked it.
And Cookie had all the time of the world, all the time of the
world High Court. And a couple of things happened

(46:18):
in that moment. Clark made eye contact with him
and he gave me one of those likemy immediate thought, having
played loads against him, brilliant bat batter, great
competitor. Actually, I thought he's done
it. He's he's he's finished, he's
retiring. I, I just knew I just, it was a

(46:39):
weird feeling like just that, that eye contact and blow
through the mouth of like, yes, it was a bad ball.
Yes, he shouldn't have nicked it, but I just.
There was just something in his energy that made me.
Think and as the opposition captain and when all that's
going on around you as well. Yeah.
And then we got together and I hadn't even thought about that

(46:59):
being a FIFA. And, you know, you're just
thinking about plans and moving on.
I looked up at the big screen. It was like 5 for six.
I was like, what what's what, what's happened here?
Like, wow. And that was my first
realization of something really special happening. 5 for six,
you never get, you know, that's just just completely unusual.

(47:20):
And yeah, that was lifting up the crowd, lifting the ball to
the crowd, signaling around my home crowd.
They were all up and about. That was that was a really
special moment. Family, everyone that you just
like what what I think listeningto you, there's some amazing
things that going through your head in the midst of, you know,
the best spell obviously #2 in this little lineup.

(47:42):
But I kind of imagine you're just in this flow state, this
zone where you're almost like blinkers on and you're not
really aware of stuff. But you know, you've mentioned
singing a song on your your run up the slipping as you've Rampas
Clark, the you know, the realisation that he's feels
defeated or is going to throw the towel in at the end of the

(48:04):
sit. That is quite fascinating, I
think, for people to hear what thoughts are actually going on
in and amongst one of the best ever performances in an England
shirt. You kind of think, oh, he must
just be so focused about every single thing.
But how do you also main and manage that energy and the
emotion? Are you trying, are you trying

(48:24):
to sometimes cut, not let it gettoo out of control and come down
or where? Where do you go broadly switch
back on? Yeah.
Yeah, so I mean, it's such a great point because I think I
bowled 4 1/2 overs maybe for thefive Fer and then the next
wicket came, Mitchell Johnson nicked one to slip and my
overriding feeling then was relief because things hadn't

(48:49):
happened for 3 overs. Haven't taken a wicket.
It's a long time. So you're going like, wicket,
wicket, wicket. And then you're like, OK, well,
I should be taking wickets here.And Johnson was leaving and
blocking leave block. And then he nicked 1.
And I, I've, when I've seen it back, the look of my face is
exactly how I felt like, Oh my God, thank goodness for that.

(49:09):
Like, why has that taken so long?
Which is remarkable because normally it takes you on average
910 overs per wicket in Test match cricket.
So in fact, it was 2 1/2 or something.
And I'm feeling frustrated, I'm feeling annoyed, lacking
patience. Why is this not happening?
And he nicked it. And I remember being like, oh

(49:30):
God, about time. And then Stark followed quite
quickly after that, and we're back on sort of looking.
Up as a bowler though, when you get to 5 wickets, a bit like a
batter getting to 100 and you kind of think I've done it now
do you get that when you get 5? Because obviously it's a lot of
wickets and other people are bowling so maybe it's harder to
take more, but do you ever get asense of relief?

(49:51):
I've got 5 now, that's me done. No, no.
It's the, it's The Walking off the field, it's that temp if you
don't care who gets the wickets,it's walking off the pitch
knowing that that little period is done, you get your boots off
and rest and recover. So yeah, I I got those two Lefty
* Johnson Stark And then I remember looking up at the big
screen, it said something like 7for 11.

(50:14):
And again, that was a. Realization of.
Oh, OK, well, I've not been heresince school and now it's the
ashes, you know? Just remind us your school
figures. 7/7 for 12 still got the ball.
Actually, 7 for 12 for, I'm sureit was under fifteens, might
have been under twelves. So yeah, that was a realization
I remember thinking. I can be my best ever figures.

(50:36):
Definitely not been here since school.
And then Nathan Lyon bowling at him and again you're feeling
that pressure a little bit of you've got to get him out every
ball. And he nicked me for four
through the gap, he'll say guided it through the gap.
We went for four and that was the most frustrating four I've
ever gone for because now I'm a bit like I want something
special here. And a fourth out of 11 to take

(50:57):
me to 15. A four fields, a lot of runs.
I was like wow, have you picked that gap?
That's ridiculous. I got fielders everywhere and
you've picked that gap. And I think the key to actually
taking wickets that day, becausewe had the pressure because it
was moving around and we were, we got in a bit of a run early,
three in the first 7 balls we had five slips.

(51:18):
So any mistake they made went toa fielder, which crucial if we'd
have just had two in a gully, you know, they're not going to
hand. So we we were as a captain
cookie. We went all in like we're having
fielders everywhere. And then Lion went for 4/7 for
15 and the next ball just bounced a bit.
Boom, looped up to Stokes. He and I remembered to like sort

(51:39):
of a was like punching the air almost like, yes, like done,
they're done. Let's get batting and sort of
walked off Stokes. He ran straight to me, gave me
the ball. We walked off it, you know,
raising the bull, but you're notreally taking that in, are you?
Like, it's like when you're celebrating 100, you're sort of
going cool, great, but like not really soaking it in.

(52:01):
I got back to the changing room.Trev Bayless, you know, as well
as anyone, not the most, what's the right word?
Emotional sort of character, Is he?
He sort of didn't run over to melike, oh, brilliant.
Well, bold. Don't think he even said well,
bold. Actually, I don't think I even
saw it, but you know, that was agreat strength of his as well
because he never let the team get too high or too low.

(52:23):
But I, you know, I sat back in my spot, Cookie and Lively were
getting their kit on. So I just sat back, allowed them
to do that and they went out andthere was a moment I just made a
cup of tea just taking my whitesoff.
And Lively I think drove Mitchell start through the
covers before crunched it. And from my changing room spot
at Trent Bridge, I could see theclock on the Radcliffe Rd. end

(52:44):
and it said 20 to one or 12:45. It's ball got first ball we'd
seen really like nailed through the covers all day.
Sun was just creeping through. And that was a moment of wow,
we've bowled already. And we're sat in the changing
room pre lunch having bowled Australia out like that.
That was a moment of realization.

(53:05):
I think you came and sat next tome like tap me on the leg.
But like, yeah, I've, I've dreamt of one of the Ashes my
whole life and I feel like we might have just done it type of
thing. Yeah.
And I think, though, that realization that they say it's
just disbelief, isn't it? And that series for me is
actually quite bittersweet. It's winning an Ashes series,
but my own performances were really poor, and I felt like a

(53:28):
little bit of a passenger at certain times in that series.
But obviously, it's an absolute dream to win the Ashes and know
that that was going to happen. You don't really get that day
one of a Test match at lunchtimeto go.
I think we've just won the Ashesby your spell, by seeing, you
know, the openers come out and get away a little bit, I'm sure.

(53:51):
And I remember at the end of theday, it's like Joe Rude scored
100 and you just like, this is the most disbelieving day of
cricket that I've ever seen especially.
It's always that element I thinkof.
We've just bowled them out for 60.
You know what, is this wicket that bad?
We might only get 100 and then, but to go on Joe Root be on 100

(54:15):
himself by the end of the day, it's just like and where at the
end of that day, obviously theremust.
You've done so much press so much.
Did you ever have a like a quietmoment or I know you like a
glass of red wine? Did you go back home and sort of
just sort of let it sink in? I know that probably doesn't
happen immediately, but did you have a moment to yourself where

(54:36):
you just sort of like? Yeah, yeah, I did actually.
So I did go home because playingat Trent Bridge, living in
Nottingham, I, I went back to myhouse, go.
I think as international cricketers, when you get the
chance to stay at home, you do. So the Trent Bridge Test always
stayed at home. So I sat at home just, I think
cooking a bit of food and my doorbell went, I think reaction

(54:59):
like everyone does whenever the doorbell goes.
Who the Hell's that? So, I mean, it's my dad.
My dad, he was holding a bottle of wine.
And he said, well, I know you don't drink during Test matches,
but if there's ever a time, we've got to share a glass
tonight, haven't we? Which was so special.
And he came, I had a glass, he finished the bottle I think, and
that was great to almost unwind.From the day a bit he because

(55:23):
he'd watched it from the crowd. Or like, Can you believe that
when that happened, could you? And I was still in that daze of
no, I can't. I can't really believe that this
has happened. You know that even now 10 years
on, coming up to 10 years on, which is petrifying in itself
when I see that scoreboard 60 all out Australia home ground
Trent Bridge, 8:15 to my name still doesn't look real.

(55:45):
Still doesn't look real to me. And that's I've heard a couple
of things that really make me smile.
That moment of my dad coming over, definitely the moment of
winning, regaining the Ashes at Trent Bridge and we were driving
to the ground that morning, day three going, no one's going to
come, you know, surely no one's going to come, but we're going

(56:06):
to win. And they'll be like 10 people
there and Trent Bridge for an hour's cricket that morning was
packed to the rafters. And that was one of my favorite
days because we all just signed,had pictures around the ground.
Felt like just a festival, like a party.
And I've also heard heard DarrenLehman on AQ and a Australia
head coach get asked could he have done or what was he feeling
in the change room at that time?Could he have done anything

(56:28):
different? And he described it that he was
like the the guy in the RAF stood in the plane by the
parachute when it opens the doorand he's got the little red
light and all the parachutists are lined up with the parachutes
on tight. He was just going go, go, go.
And I can sort of picture that, you know, there wasn't time to
calm down or settle or go. What the conditions doing it was

(56:51):
that scramble battles would be getting the pads on out they go.
Because it all happened in an hour and 20.
It was. Yeah.
But actually, now I've said it, that probably should be #1. 8
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(57:13):
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(57:34):
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(57:57):
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Right, so we've just heard all about what is really number one,
but you've got your number one as South Africa away 5 for 14 at
Joburg. Tell us, you know, for the

(58:18):
people who just cannot understand why, how can that sit
higher than the 8 for 15 is that.
What it was 5 for 14? That's what I've got.
Maybe in this, the actual spell,maybe not your actual figures,
but yeah, in the spell, the actual spell, 10 overs, 514, six
majors. I think there's one point in
that from your there you go first to your 5th wicket was 31

(58:38):
balls at the cost of just one run so. 5 for one. 5 for one in
that little spell and the one run.
OK I wasn't playing myself man. Thankfully this wasn't me.
It was thanks to a drop catch is.
That right, Yeah. So.
Remember that drop catch? You drop that.
Don't know. I don't need to know.
There's a couple of good ones inthere that so yeah, yeah.
How is this? How is this number?
How does this sit above the ashes?

(58:59):
Trent Bridge, 2015. So I ranked this as #1 just for
the amount of wicket taking balls I I bowled in them and the
the momentum changer in the gameaway from home.
Yeah, just set the scene the sort of the.
So the it's, I think it's in theseries.
We've got to we've got to win this Test match to, to win the

(59:22):
series. We'd bowled first at the
Wanderers, one of those pitches that as a tall fast bowl, a bit
of a dream carries through bit of sea movement.
But if you get it wrong, you candisappear.
And South Africa set a decent total, can't remember exactly,
but it was around sort of two 5300.
I bowled like an absolute drain first innings.

(59:43):
I wasn't very well. Actually I'd been I'd been not
very well. So I'd, I'd, the heat was
getting to me, I was having to run off and, you know, be a bit
sick. I just felt awful.
And the guys really held it together.
Our body unit held it together and covered me that, that first
innings. And then we went out to bat and
Rooty got a brilliant 100. Like must feel like that's the
most sad thing in English cricket, isn't it?
But gay, you know, to get us up and level.

(01:00:05):
I think we were virtually exactly level at the halfway
stage. Innings 1.
Innings one from England and South Africa.
So coming out to ball, that's a great feeling because you know
you can break the game open, butalso there's some added pressure
on that because if they go and get 340, it's unlikely you're
going to chase that. So you know you need to take
wickets. It was a Saturday, Saturday

(01:00:25):
lunchtime at the Wanderers, the boring eye class that as their
spiritual home. You know, you walk from the
changing room down to the pitch in this like shell, almost like
a plastic shell and all the kidswhack on it and back.
So it's really loud. It feels quite aggressive.
And it was packed full of South Africans and the balmy army.
So they were, there was a great atmosphere going on and I got

(01:00:48):
the ball and I felt good immediately coming from how
badly I felt the first innings or how bad I felt.
I my stripe pattern felt good. I was getting the ball to carry
through and like in a lot of my decent spells, get a wicket
early and it was a nick off and I'm running off like, you know,
I knew that meant something. So I'm running off celebrating

(01:01:08):
everyone. And I remember the whole team
always chased me, like followed me, which gave me a great
energy, a great feeling. A bit like, OK, the team know
the game's on the line here. And the wicket I remember the
most actually is AB de Villiers,obviously 1 of Saka's greatest
ever players. And I ran in a bowl and it was
back of a length, knit back and he's inside, edged it through to

(01:01:33):
the keeper, which must have beenbest.
So if you weren't playing and I didn't see the edge, hear the
edge, nothing. So I just thought it was a ball
that beat him on the inside and Johnny threw the ball up in the
air as keepers do and started running off to fine leg.
So I was like, oh, how's that? How's that umpire finger?
Davila's gone for naughty. I had no clue that he'd edged
it. So that was a big momentum

(01:01:54):
change in the whole game, you know, suddenly you felt the
crowd almost gasp. Best players gone for naughty.
What, they two or three down? OK, let's go England.
And I felt almost a bit, OK, luck's on my side a bit.
If I've not really noticed that that was a wicket definitely
seeming around. And then Hashim Amla, one of the
best players I ever bowled at, hated bowling at him.

(01:02:15):
So patient and clinical with putting away a bad ball.
Not on this day ball of rank legstamp half folly.
He's like middled it that I justthought that's for almost just
turned around and James Taylor to the best short leg catcher
I've ever seen just stuck out ofhand.
Bang middle of his hand. Hashima disbelief.
I obviously celebrating the whole team are celebrating and

(01:02:37):
we've got Southcare on on the edge a little bit and we just
blew them away. We, we, I don't know exactly
what we boiled them out for, butit was certainly not much more
than 100 and it was just one of those days.
I put it as the best because away from home series on the
line, crowd was bouncing, but also one of the only times where

(01:02:59):
I bowled on a pitch where I got the most out, a bit more out of
it than any other bowler, if that makes sense.
So I felt I was doing the damageand the other bowlers were just
holding for a bit. Normally on every surface a bowl
will come in and go, yes, you'reright, it's nipping this way,
It's nipping that way. The other guys who are a bit
like cool, It feels quite flat in my end, I'm just going to

(01:03:20):
hold. And I said, well, I'm feeling a
great rhythm. Let me go.
I'll try and be really ultra aggressive.
And I, I always look at the Wanderers as a pitch that suited
me tall could whack it into the pitch.
And definitely that day I like the 8th of 15.
I said the most big, the biggestwicket that day was Mark Wood

(01:03:40):
getting war on a first ball. I felt like I bowled South
Africa out that day. I I hate that sort of word on my
own. Obviously not on my own, but I
felt like I grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and said
come with me lads, I'm going to get this job done.
I'm going to charge in bowl Wicked taking deliveries.
It's my day. Yes, a bit of luck along the
way. I tried to bowl a bouncer to

(01:04:01):
temper the voomer and he ducked it, put ducks into it, hit his
glove, hit the stump, you know, everything going my way.
So I put that as #1 just becauseof the emotion attached to it.
And actually we won the Test match.
I got player of the match, I think I got 6 for in that.
And I, that took me to #1 in theworld, the first time I'd been

(01:04:23):
number one in the world as a fast bowler.
Don't think I'd say they're overlong couple of months.
But that, that felt like a bit of an achievement because
ultimately for me to get to #1 Ihad to get ahead of Dale Stain,
Jimmy Anderson, Like very rarelyhave the ability to do that.
Stain's been like, I think number one for the most amount
of time in my whole career. So that was a bit of a moment in

(01:04:46):
my career of, wow, I'm number one Test bowler in the world.
That's that's pretty special forme and off the back of a Test
match win that I bowled a spell that that won the game was was
that's why it's number. One, yeah, and I really like
that in the sense that you're aware of of that being #1 and

(01:05:06):
that sense of achievement and obviously doing that from a
brilliant, brilliant spell of bowling.
Because sometimes as creators, and maybe it's an English trait
that we, we sort of want to talkourselves down and don't want
to, you know, you're aware of all these records.
So when a batter says I was onlytwo more runs, I got out for 98,
it doesn't matter that much. It is two runs, but it would be

(01:05:27):
awesome to score 100 or it wouldbe awesome to achieve #1 or
score X amount of runs. I do think even though it isn't
the be all an end all people areaware of and it like you say,
that sense of achievement when you look at the list of players
you must be and the two guys youmentioned there, Stain and
Anderson to go. I'm in their company and the way

(01:05:48):
other people are now looking at me as you know, the top dog.
I think that's a brilliant thingto admit.
It's fine that that is a driver of of performance and and it
comes. I think that's that link.
It comes from great spells doinggreat things for the team,
whether that's with the bat or with the ball.

(01:06:08):
And you can achieve some awesomeindividual things as well.
Just when you're when you are overseas.
I always think about how good the Barmy Army are and obviously
we get so well supported in England, but they travel
unbelievably well, especially inSouth Africa when there's 24 ran
to the pound and drinks are flowing.
But just say how important, you know, I always think the

(01:06:31):
trumpet, the songs, he's big, he's bad, he's better than his
dad, that kind of stuff. Do you feel that more, you know,
this is the only overseas spell in these these ones.
So is that a different vibe? Is that give you more again,
like going away from home at their crucial place with that
that connection that you always have with the supporters?
But I mean, I mean incredible, All England fans that travel,

(01:06:53):
it's a, it's a community. It's a feeling.
You know you see the same faces in in all the Test matches that
you play. The song Jerusalem that they
sing that first over of a game, you can see them all doing the
bow and arrow. You know, it's, it's, it's
really special for us to connectwith that as as players.
And you'll always see people like Rooty clapping at the at

(01:07:15):
the end of that song. But for me, the energy that they
bring, yeah, you're right. When they start singing, I think
it was his big, he's bad. He's better than his dad.
Stuart Ross, Stuart Broad. It was, you know, that would
always bring a great energy to it.
Connecting you on why I only hadone of those spells abroad with
the other fifers in a spell. We're all in England.
I think that was maybe the the in England, the whole ground go

(01:07:39):
with you when you're abroad. The Barbie are a certain part of
that crowd, but you definitely feel like you're on enemy
territory. So maybe there was a flow of, of
that and and there was definitely countries where the
ground, the pitches and grounds didn't suit me as much as
England and and South Africa did.
So there's definitely part of that.
But the connection that England cricket have with their fans

(01:08:03):
turning up at Test match groundsall over the world, we feel
supported, we feel backed. You know, even when we've lost
3-4 nil, how they speak to us isis pretty incredible.
They're not ever you're rubbish,you're hopeless.
I get you wasted all our time. They're always backers all the
way through. And that that's, that's not

(01:08:23):
that, that's very rare in sport,isn't it?
And you definitely feel that, that brilliant connection, but
that that's Africa, Johannesburg, Cape Town, those
sort of places where the beers are 50P, where you write that 24
round to the pound. You remember that because they
sang that one to 24, didn't they?
He'd be like one round to all the way through and we'd hear

(01:08:45):
that for an hour and then that lovely moment when the trumpet
goes and that whether it be rooty as Captain or Joe roots
Bobby do. You ever think when you're as a
bowler and they you know, they get this, the game's gone a bit
flat and the bomb the he goes, pipes up, does it.
It's time for a Barmy Army wicket and they start the

(01:09:05):
everywhere we go chant. Have you ever had a time where
you're sort of like, I'm going to go, I want to go with them
here, get me like to the captain, give me the ball.
The crowd want a wicket. They're trying their best to
instigate something. I'm I'm going to be part of that
or go with that and sort of, youknow, where does the spell?

(01:09:26):
Sometimes you leave that that you make it happen, or you sense
the game needs it and you want to step up to do that.
There's definitely times where that's happened, without a
doubt. Durban in South Africa, I
remember a couple of Test matches there that we won where
the Barbie and we've really feltlike we needed something to
happen. If it's been baking hot through

(01:09:47):
the day and you get to near tea,they can just see you might be a
bit low on energy. They lift and you go, OK, it's
my time to to lift as well. You rely on that crowd.
Well, I relied on that that crowd quite a bit.
It's just more difficult abroad to make things happen quicker
than it is in England because you're playing against the home

(01:10:09):
team when we're away. You're obviously playing against
the home team that played in those conditions their whole
life. When you drag them to Lords or
the Oval or England, yeah, you're playing against our
conditions so we can exploit them quicker.
So it's difficult to make thingshappen as quickly abroad.
And that's why when I look at the Wanderers, it was the pitch
that suited me the most in SouthAfrica that I was able to to

(01:10:31):
strike. And I think a lot of Test match
cricket, international cricket players can't do it every day
because the standard's too high.But the best players in the
world find their conditions thatreally suit them and go, this is
my day, this is the day I can make it count.
And you see that as to cook spring some money.
You'd get 240 in Abu Dhabi, you know, like bang there, he's got

(01:10:53):
a 240, away we go 290. Edgbaston pitch suited him down
to the ground. He never missed out in
conditions that suited him. So yeah, I think the Wanderers
was a great connection to me of games on the line.
I like changing momentums in games.
That's what I judge myself on. But conditions suit.
Let's go. Brody I've absolutely loved that
episode. It's been great to get so many

(01:11:15):
insights from the man himself onall those spells.
I felt very privileged to have best seat at the house for the 8
for 15 and that is for the love of cricket.
Another episode in the back. Thanks to our partners Sage and
Leithwaite. So if you've got a question,
there's a link in the episode description.
And don't forget to follow At Love of Cricket Pod on Instagram
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(01:11:36):
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