SUPER STU SPURTS PAST CURTLEY

STUART BROAD admitted to bowling the best he had done for two years as he helped England take a firm grip on the last Test of the winter.

It is the final chance for England to get a victory in what has been a miserable six months in the longest format – and it was fitting that Broad should be at the forefront.

The 31-year-old claimed four out of the six wickets to fall on day two as New Zealand slumped to 36-5 at one stage before their recovery to 192-6 at the close. And it was a just reward for Broad, who had spent lonely days in the indoor nets at Trent Bridge working on his action.

“I felt in the best rhythm I have been in for a couple of years running in today,” said Broad. “I was rubbish in Australia. I lacked the right feeling of bowling, so that is why I didn’t want to work with any coaches at home, I just wanted to get that feeling back as a cricketer and I’ve got that. Now I feel in full control and could let the ball go with maximum effort, it was bouncing through, it had pace, and it was nipping.

“It is an exciting place to be, I’m 31 not 36 and I still feel I have a lot more to offer, so when you see improvements over a relatively short period of time, like I have, then that gives you a lot of energy.”

Broad also bowled much fuller than he has done of late, persuading the likes of Ross Taylor to drive and fall to edges behind.

It was a new-look England bowling attack, with Mark Wood playing the role of the enforcer, while Somerset spinner Jack Leach enjoyed an encouraging start.

And Broad eased past West Indies legend Sir Curtly Ambrose on the all-time wicket-takers list with his 406th scalp when Colin de Grandhomme fell for a rearguard 72.

“Curtly was one of my heroes,” added Broad. “Watching him in full flight was as good as you get, really. It doesn’t feel quite real when you get mentioned with these sort of names.”