To expect such feats was to be distinctly unrealistic given a grassless, bat-first pitch on a day of cloudless blue skies and temperatures in the high 20s. Thus a barren spell that had begun during the day-night Test at Adelaide and swelled mightily in Perth hit a critical point. Ashes 2017-18: Australia v England fourth Test, day one – as it happened Read moreSome woeful catching may explain partly why his English summer was, at 20 wickets, his leanest for seven years. The Ashes may be gone and his five wickets at 61 apiece from the first three Tests has been a factor in Australia’s series win. But on the opening day in Melbourne there were green shoots of recovery from Broad on a surface lacking any such vegetation.

Source: The Guardian December 26, 2017 12:33 UTC