‘We both have burning desire to keep going, keep winning’

STUART BROAD believes his bowling partnership with James Anderson could continue for another four years after England’s two leading wicket-takers turned this final Test decisively in their side’s favour on the second day in Manchester.

Broad followed up an innings of 62, his highest in Tests for seven years, with another star turn with the ball — taking 2-17 from 11 overs by removing opener Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase.

Anderson applied pressure from the other end, returning the same figures with the wickets of Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks.

This was only the third time in 15 Tests the pair, who have more than 1,000 Test wickets between them, have played together.

Despite talk that opportunities to do so again in the future may be limited, 34-year-old Broad is not expecting his double act with Anderson, who turns 38 at the end of this month, to finish anytime soon.

‘He wants to go on until Darren Stevens’ age by the sound of it,’ said Broad. ‘He can still see himself trundling in at 42. I don’t ever walk on the field feeling, “Is this the last time we will play together?” because both of us have got a burning desire to keep going and keep winning Test matches for England.

‘I certainly get the feeling when one of us goes, the other will be one of the first to know and there’s certainly been no talk of that. Jimmy’s record has arguably been getting better, as has mine. So let’s keep striking while the iron’s hot.

‘We pride ourselves on building pressure and adapting to conditions quicker than the opening batsmen do. We did exactly that here. I loved it.

‘It didn’t really feel like we hadn’t played together for so long. We slotted back into what we do and worked together to take wickets. Hopefully we can carry that on.’

Broad admitted he is worried his most blatant ‘celebrappeal’ yet following the lbw dismissal of Chase could land him in hot water with the match referee — his father Chris Broad.

‘Yes, I’m feeling a bit nervous about that in all honesty,’ he said. ‘I’d been talking to Chris Woakes at mid-on for about nine balls about when to bowl a slightly quicker one that comes back in.

‘It was patience, patience, patience. Eventually when I tried it and it hit the pad it was a different level of excitement so I celebrated like I bowled him instead of having to appeal.

‘It’s not one of my finest moments but in the 10 seconds after taking a wicket you don’t have any control over what’s happening.’

As for his batting, Broad revealed he was helped by a chat with Peter Moores, his coach at Nottinghamshire, about trying to adopt some of the habits at the crease of the great Shane Warne.

‘Peter Moores came to me at the start of June and told me to look at how Shane Warne played in the 2005 Ashes,’ said Broad. ‘Warne scored some crucial runs by trying to open up the off side and I wanted to try to do the same. There was a little bit of thought process into the madness, but I did enjoy being out there.’

Old Trafford was the venue where Broad was struck in the face by India’s Varun Aaron during a 2014 Test match against India. The incident saw him require reconstructive surgery to his nose and his batting dropped off significantly afterwards.

‘I wouldn’t say this innings has exorcised anything but of course that affected me,’ he said.

‘You start questioning yourself a lot about how it affects you, but actually it’s a brutal thing and not many people go through something like that when the ball goes straight through the visor. ‘There’s no doubting it’s had a psychological affect and it certainly made it very unenjoyable for a period of time.’