Broad must provide England spark: Warne
Dec 15, 2017 - 7:30 PM The heat is on England's pantomime villain Stuart Broad to lift in the third Ashes Test amid the paceman's ongoing ineffectual series.Broad largely failed to trouble Steve Smith on Friday's second day at the WACA. Australia trail by 200 runs and will resume at 3-203.
Smith heaved a Broad bouncer for six in an unbeaten knock of 92.
Broad has captured five wickets in the series at 43.4. It's been five years since the right-armer has finished a series with such a high average.
Australia are rightly respectful of somebody who has tormented them in plenty of Test series - most recently in 2015 when he snared 8-15 in an urn-earning rampage at Trent Bridge.
Broad and Jimmy Anderson require only two more wickets to become the most-prolific new-ball combination in Test history.
But Broad hardly fired a shot on day two of the third Test, especially in a final spell that failed to impress Shane Warne in the Nine Network commentary box.
"He is a lot faster than that. He needs to find another gear ... you can't just roll up and bowl that rubbish," Warne said after Smith stroked a loosener through the covers.
"It looks like a throwdown.
"He is better than that ... he needs to be better than that.
"He is a senior player. England needs a spark ... he has to produce something for his skipper and his team."
Warne added that Broad "hasn't been at his best today".
Anderson also went wicketless on day two of the contest, although pundits were gobsmacked that he didn't bowl to Smith until the skipper was on 47 and seeing them like basketballs.
"It's not my job. I don't get paid for those decisions," keeper Jonny Bairstow said.
Anderson and Broad could carry a bigger burden than usual during the Perth Test, with the visitors sweating on Craig Overton's rib injury.
Overton trudged off the field in a great deal of discomfort on Friday after delivering his 10th over.
BROAD'S HIGHEST BOWLING AVERAGES IN TEST SERIES (MORE THAN 70 OVERS):
* 49 v South Africa (home) in '08 * 48.75 v Sri Lanka (home) in '11 * 46 v Bangladesh (away) in '10 * 43.57 v New Zealand (home) in '08 * 43.4 v Australia (ongoing, away) in '17
Source: AAP
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