Stuart Broad and David Warner
Recalling his struggles against pacer Stuart Broad, Australia's David Warner shared a hilarious picture on Wednesday when the first Test between England and New Zealand got underway at the Lord's.
Broad, who has been named deputy to captain Joe Root for the two-match Test series against New Zealand, was all over Warner in the 2019 Ashes, dismissing the southpaw on seven occasions within just 104 deliveries.
"Trying to get some sleep here in Aus but this bloke pops up on my tv screen!! Few months to get some sleep before the Ashes down under," wrote Warner on Twitter ahead of the Ashes series later this year.
On his impressive record against Warner, Broad had said in an interview that conditions and timing of the series created a perfect platform for him to succeed against the Aussie opener. "I got lucky, in the sense that it was a really good summer to bowl with a brand-new ball in England.
"It had that dryness of pitches - probably due to the World Cup - that just nipped off the seam. I was fresh, I was buzzing, I was excited because it was my first international cricket of the summer - for guys who had played in the World Cup, it was maybe a different story," Broad told The Analyst's Virtual Cricket Club last year.
"I had a lot of time to do research while the World Cup was going on. I've always found [Warner] a very difficult batsman to bowl at, particularly in the third innings when you're tired: he's very good at punishing shorter bowling and width. I did a lot of research on how he gets out"
Broad, meanwhile, went wicketless in the first two sessions as New Zealand notched up 144/3 at Tea on Day 1 of the first Test. While the newly-appointed vice-captain didn't open his account, debutant Ollie Robinson picked up two on debut, and veteran James Anderson got the better of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson.
The England side is also scheduled to play a big-ticket five-Test series against India from August. New Zealand, on the other hand, is gearing up for the inaugural WTC final against Virat Kohli and Co from July 18, slated to commence just four days after the wrap of their two-Test series against England.
