Stuart Broad said he didn’t hold a grudge against critics who called for him to be dropped after he ended a poor run of form with four wickets in the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.
The experienced seamer had come under fire from detractors — including former England captain Michael Vaughan — after his career-worst 0-142 in the third Test in Perth as England relinquished the Ashes.
Broad admitted he was too defensive at the WACA, where he was more concerned about conceding runs than taking wickets, and said just a subtle mental adjustment had put him back on track.
Before his 4-51 on day two of the Melbourne Test, Broad had managed only five wickets in what has been a disappointing series for the Nottinghamshire man.
He said: “I need that ‘where’s my next wicket coming from?’ mentality. Not, ‘where am I going to stop the next boundary?’. It’s a small mental change but actually quite a big thing for me as a cricketer.
“I think every time you step on to the field you’re pretty much playing for your career, that’s the pressure of international cricket,” Broad said, after taking four wickets for 51 to help dismiss Australia for 327 in their first innings in Melbourne.
“You never know how things will go, you just need to focus on making sure that your mindset’s right, your work ethic’s right to make sure you’re doing everything to be at your best.
“To be honest I’ve had one of those weeks where you get your tin hat on and duck down and don’t really see much, so I’ve been very unaware about things being written and things being said.”
He added: “I’ve gone to the place that you have to go to as a sportsman sometimes where you find something within yourself and you get support from people around you and you build yourself back up again. I think you can get yourself in a bit of dark place if you really read everything.”
But Broad also said he “deserved” criticism and held no animosity toward those, including Vaughan, who said he should be dropped.
“Things happen and can change really quickly in sport and I’ve always had this appreciation that people are just doing their jobs,” he said. “You’ve got to say your opinion, you’ve got to be critical at times and I deserve criticism after the Perth Test defeat for sure.
“I am not going to hold any grudges or get too disappointed if people criticize because at the end of the day, in 15 years’ time, I might be doing the same,” he quipped.— AFP
Stuart Broad forgives doubters for "deserved" Ashes criticism
Stuart Broad forgives doubters for "deserved" Ashes criticism
Hornets shock Thunder as Pistons dominate Knicks
- The struggling Hornets, 12th in the Eastern Conference, dominated in Oklahoma City, where the league-leading Thunder suffered just their seventh loss of the season
- Cade Cunningham scored 29 points and handed out 13 assists to propel the Pistons to a 121-90 victory over the Knicks in a duel of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference
LOS ANGELES: The Charlotte Hornets thrashed the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder 124-97 on Monday, as Eastern Conference leaders Detroit delivered a statement win over the New York Knicks.
The struggling Hornets, 12th in the Eastern Conference, dominated in Oklahoma City, where the league-leading Thunder suffered just their seventh loss of the season but their second in a row after a setback against Phoenix on Sunday.
Brandon Miller scored 28 points and Kon Knueppel added 23 for the Hornets, who grabbed 52 rebounds to the Thunder’s 33 and held a 23-13 edge in second-chance points.
Even 20 Hornets turnovers, leading to 26 Thunder points, couldn’t help Oklahoma City, who never led after the opening minutes and connected on just 36.6 percent of their shots from the field.
NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points to lead five Thunder players in double figures, but OKC’s streak of 24 victories against Eastern Conference foes came to an end.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Oklahoma City wouldn’t panic after dropping six of 12 games since their blazing 24-1 start to the season.
“We’ll evaluate it as we do every game, learn from it and then we’ll turn the page and try to be a better team,” he said after the Thunder were held below 100 points for the first time this season.
Cunningham leads Pistons
In Detroit, Cade Cunningham scored 29 points and handed out 13 assists to propel the Pistons to a 121-90 victory over the Knicks in a duel of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit improved to 27-9 and stretched their lead atop the East to four games over the Boston Celtics — who overtook the Knicks for second spot in the conference with a 115-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Javonte Green added 17 points off the bench for Detroit and Jaden Ivey chipped in 16 for a Pistons team without injured starters Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 25 points, but he had precious little scoring support. Miles McBride added 17 off the bench and Mikal Bridges scored 10, but Karl-Anthony Towns scored just six points on one-of-four shooting and OG Anunoby made just one of three shots on the way to five points.
“Obviously we knew there was a little extra to this game,” Cunningham said of the first meeting between the teams since the Knicks eliminated the Pistons in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
“But (we’re) just trying to continue what we’ve been doing all year and trying to keep our momentum.”
Brunson kept the Knicks in touch early with 12 points in the first quarter and New York trailed by just one point after a strong finish to a tight first frame.
But nine Knicks turnovers in the second quarter helped the Pistons push their lead to 64-54 at half-time.
Cunningham’s 15 third-quarter points matched the Knicks’ total for the period — New York’s lowest scoring quarter of the season leaving the Pistons firmly in control.
Knicks coach Mike Brown said New York didn’t match the physicality of the Pistons.
“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “They just physically kicked our ass. There’s no ifs and buts about it.”
