NOTTINGHAM, England, (Reuters) – A rampant Stuart Broad took eight wickets as England ripped out shell-shocked Australia for 60 in an extraordinary and dramatic start to the fourth Ashes test at Trent Bridge today.
The hosts, 2-1 up in the series and without their leading bowler James Anderson, needed only 18.3 overs to dismiss the touring side who collapsed to their joint sixth-lowest Ashes total in just over 90 minutes.
Broad struck five times in his first four overs, claiming his 300th test victim with the third ball of the morning when he had opener Chris Rogers caught at first slip by captain Alastair Cook for a duck.
Steven Smith, on six, edged the last ball of the first over to Joe Root in the slips and David Warner nicked his second delivery from Mark Wood to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, leaving the touring side in tatters at 10-3.
Australia captain Michael Clarke, who dropped one place down the order to number five, walked out to face the ninth delivery of the match.
England, who won the toss, struck another blow when Shaun Marsh edged Broad to Ian Bell at second slip and Adam Voges was brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Ben Stokes at gully as Australia slumped to 21 for five.
It was the first time in test history that the first five wickets of the match had fallen within 25 balls of the start.
Clarke survived 25 minutes for his 10 runs before he drove loosely at a wide ball from Broad and was well caught above his head by Cook.
It was Broad’s 14th five-wicket haul in a test innings and was the first time an England bowler had taken five wickets before lunch on the first day of a test since Sydney Barnes, against South Africa in 1913.
The lanky 29-year-old was not finished, however, producing another perfect delivery which Mitchell Starc diverted into the safe hands of Root and Mitchell Johnson fell in identical fashion for 13.
Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood added 13 runs for the last wicket before the former edged Broad to Stokes in front of a disbelieving crowd to give the fast bowler test-best figures of 8-15.
Broad, playing his 83rd test, became the fifth England bowler to take 300 test wickets after fellow pacemen Anderson, Ian Botham, Bob Willis and Fred Trueman.
Anderson, who tops the list with 413 victims, is missing the fourth test due to a side injury he sustained in the last match in Birmingham.
