BROAD BACKING FOR FED-UP JOF

STUART BROAD fired up to help England bowl New Zealand out for the first time in the series before offering support for a frustrated Jofra Archer.

On another flat Kiwi surface, Broad found a way to claim 4-73 as the home side were dismissed for 375 when another giant score looked in the offing.

BJ Watling and debutant Daryl Mitchell both made life tough as England’s bowlers were made to toil for their rewards with Archer (right) picking up just the one late wicket from his 28 overs.

But having been there many times himself, Broad told the young fast bowler — playing in just his sixth Test — not to get too down about the lack of wickets and instead look forward to South Africa, where the pace in the pitches should get him excited again.

“Jofra’s never experienced anything like it,” said Broad. “He’s played a lot of first-class Division Two cricket with the games in fast-forward.

“He said in the first

Test that he’d never gone through a day without taking a wicket, but he’s still so new to this level of cricket. These pitches are tough to get wickets on. I said to him today, ‘You can’t get a six-for every time you step on the field’.

“I’m telling him to look forward to South Africa — a better place to bowl.

“I don’t think the Kookaburra ball is his best friend at the minute, but it will be when he realises that every away pitch isn’t like these.”

The session between lunch and tea, when England’s only joy was Watling’s wicket from the final ball, was flat in every sense.

Mitchell could not have had a more comfortable introduction to Test cricket if he’d planned it, on his home ground and with little to trouble him.

But the final session belonged to England, with five wickets falling for just 60 runs.

Mitchell had plenty of support in the ground from family too, but not his dad, England rugby union defence coach John, who has returned to Britain after the Rugby World Cup and didn’t get enough notice of his son’s Test debut.

“The news came through a bit too late,” said Mitchell who made 73. “I’m sure he’d have been watching it through the night with a beer.”

ANDREW FLINTOFF says there’s no point calling for Joe Root to be dumped as skipper, as no one is good enough or ready to replace him! Former Test star Freddie believes selectors will have to stay with their troubled captain. Root, 28, has slumped out of the top-10 batting rankings and has seen his Test average dive to just 24.7 during the whole of 2019. Flintoff said: “Joe’s had a rough time and the knives are out. I’ve been in that position but the captain is only as good as his side. “People are calling for him to go but who’s going to replace him? Ben Stokes? Not for me.”

WONDER Of STU Broad was pick of England’s bowlers