Alice Springs, Australia: England pace bowler Stuart Broad says his side lost the first Ashes test to Australia after a brief "bit of madness" and plans to play tougher in the second match beginning Dec. 5 in Adelaide.
England lost the first test by 381 runs in four days and failed to reach 200 in either innings, including losing six wickets for nine runs in its first innings.
"We let ourselves down after being in a fantastic position in that test match," Broad told Australian Associated Press on Wednesday after a sightseeing trip to Uluru, previously known as Ayers Rock.
"We were buzzing at the end of day one after the hard work we put in. But we have to be honest, we lost that test match with a 50-minute bit of madness before tea on the second day and naturally we're disappointed in the way that happened."
Broad said those "soft wickets" gave Australia a lift in the series opener of the five-test series. England has won three Ashes series in a row.
"It was an odd one because it happened so quickly and the dismissals were uncharacteristic, really," Broad said. "We need to make ourselves harder to get out because we know how important big runs are in Australia."
England plays a two-day match against a Cricket Australia Chairman's XI at Alice Springs in central Australia beginning Friday.
