Clarke Expected To Retire From Test Cricket

And Stokes is setting his sights on finishing matters with minimal fuss.

“It’s pretty unbelievable. It’s not sunk in”, Broad told Sky Sports after drawing level with England great Fred Trueman’s career tally of 307 Test wickets. A really, really good position.

“The Ashes are not quite in our grasp yet but it’s very close”.

Pace bowling allrounder Stokes took five wickets for 35 runs, including a spell of three for four in 13 balls shortly before tea, with Australia 241 for 7 when bad light ended play on the second day.

“Cookie said again at the end of the day’s play “Let’s enjoy the next hour in the changing room; we’ve had a fantastic day, one of the best England have had in the Ashes ever – but let’s reset for tomorrow”.

“To win like we’ve done is just beyond belief”, he said.

“It settled my nerves getting the wicket in the first over and we knew we had to bowl an attacking length and get it up there, and the way we caught was special”.

The 34-year-old Clarke, one of the best batsmen of his generation but plagued by a longstanding back problem and more recent hamstring trouble, is in a desperate run of form, having reached 25 just six times in his last 30 Test innings.

The fact that Cook was happy to declare with less than 400 on the board, batting second, summed up the Australians’ plight and was another ignominy in a test they want to quickly forget.

He has been known to get involved in the occasional verbal joust in his time, but on this occasion made do with a broad smile and restrained riposte.

“We did see that”, he said.

The hosts dominated the third test at Edgbaston and won by eight wickets inside three days before dismissing Australia for 60 on the first day at Trent Bridge to set up another overwhelming victory. Broad’s bowing performance produced the best figures since Jim Laker took 19 wickets in a match in 1956.

Captain Alastair Cook had used his eve of match press conference to call for a hero to step forward and produce a performance for the ages, and Broad answered in spectacular fashion.

Having gone on to defend the Ashes, the winter tour Down Under later that year had Australian fans tormenting the bowler, with sledging coming left, right and centre.

It was the opener’s first duck in his 46th innings and when Steve Smith also departed in the first over, edging extra bounce to Joe Root at third slip, Broad was on his way to figures bettered for England against Australia by only Laker in the famous Old Trafford Test of 1956.

“I would give those six back to be none down overnight, so it’s a mixed day”, he conceded.

They rose in generous unison for former Nottinghamshire batsman Voges as he got his 50 off 111 balls.

“We’re not going anywhere, we’ll wake up in the morning and go again“, he said.

“While we’re fighting, we’re still around”.