Rate it!

1 votes

Stuart Broad has urged England to follow the example of Steve Harmison in 2005 in sending out a "message of intent" to Australia from the very first ball of the upcoming Ashes series.

Broad can still recall how Harmison bowled a brutal opening spell at Lord's in 2005 when striking Justin Langer and Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting and that set the tone and showed that Michael Vaughan's side were not going to be intimated as they achieved a memorable 2-1 triumph.

"The first session of any series is so important. That just isn't the case for an Ashes series. We talk about that in every Test series we play," he said. "Whether it is the batsman or the bowlers, it is about setting the tone in the series. It is absolutely vital."

He added: "That is what you get your minds ready for before the Test match, making sure you make that statement as early as you can in the series.

"It is basically a case of getting the first punch in, so to speak, and then go on from there. We do know how vital momentum is in a Test match series."

Broad added: "I do remember when Steve Harmison hit Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting. He hit them very hard and it was exciting to watch and what a fantastic start for the Test summer.

"People sometimes forget we lost that first Test quite convincingly really at Lord's and to come back and show the strength of character we did was superb.

"We don't want to be in that position of being down this time around but, if we are, it is important we show the same sort of resolve."

Cricinfo / Eurosport