Ashes villain Stuart Broad has revealed the pain he is feeling at literally being the face of England’s humiliating first Test loss as broadcasters continue to count the cost of an early finish in Perth. Channel 7’s vision of Broad’s reaction to Joe Root chopping on and losing his wicket at a vital time in England’s second innings has gone viral as Aussie fans revel in his misery.
The former fast bowler, who was the flashpoint for several controversial incidents during previous Ashes battles, is seen closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh as he realises the Poms are starting to lose their grip on the game. The video has been viewed more than two million times on X and also attracted huge numbers on other social media platforms.
Stuart Broad was all of England watching his side collapse in the first Ashes Test. Source: Channel 7
Broad’s worst nightmare continued to unfold as he sat uncomfortably in the broadcast box at Perth’s Optus Stadium as England threw away almost certain victory to go 1-0 down in the series. After an uneasy night’s sleep digesting what he’s witnessed, Broad returned to the scene of the crime on Sunday as Seven’s panel of experts held a post-mortem and took great delight in showing replays of the Englishman’s discomfort.
Stuart Broad looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. Image: Channel 7
“The Aussies are revelling in it because they hate me so much,” he said with a wry grin. “They’re really feeling the pain that I was feeling when Rooty chopped it on. We (England fans) were all feeling that exact emotion at the same time.
“It was such a big moment in the game. We’d allowed ourselves to feel slightly comfortable and think ‘we’re doing alright here, we’re in the game still’ and Australia did what Australia did.”
Two-day Test costs broadcasters and Cricket Australia
Australia’s win for the ages – underpinned by Mitchell Starc’s 10-wicket haul and Travis Head’s blitzkrieg with the bat – was bittersweet for host broadcasters Channel 7 and Fox Cricket. While the match delivered record viewing figures on both days, it was also over in the blink of an eye.
As Channel 9’s Karl Stefanovic said with a mischievous grin: “‘You’d be filthy if you had the rights.” The quick finish denied fans potentially three more days of cricket, including the all-important Sunday where ratings were expected to be at their highest.
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Leading media analyst Steve Allen, from Pearman Media, told Yahoo Sport Australia: “I happen to know Seven factor potential 3-day Tests into their telecast schedule and sponsor schedule, however, a two-day first Test obviously would not have been expected nor planned for.
“Having said that, they had highly beneficial, bigger audiences particularly session 3 (on Saturday) and audience delivery was no doubt well over the odds and what everyone signed up for. Most hurt from the early finish is Cricket Australia with, as I understand it, 50-55,000 refunds totalling millions and millions of dollars.”