Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik said that England have done really well to not allow Australia to run away with their first innings on Day 1 of the ongoing Ashes Test at Old Trafford, Manchester as well. However, despite good batting conditions, Australia ended the day on 299/8 and Karthik gave credit to England for picking up wickets at regular intervals.

Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket’s Ashes Podcast, Dinesh Karthik said: “You can say that England put pressure on them for a couple of wickets. But Marnus Labuschagne played a soft shot for the way he was batting. Travis Head played a shot which was perhaps not the best at that point in time. But they have bowled well and not let the game drift. They ensured hundreds haven’t been scored easily.”

However, he also praised veteran England pacer Stuart Broad for picking up his 600th Test wicket on Day 1 of the ongoing Ashes Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. Notably, he has now 149 wickets against Australia, the most by any English bowler as well.

“What Broad has brought to the table is resilience. What he has also achieved is the most wickets in Ashes for England, which is a great credential to have. Shows you the mettle of the man, the bigger the test, he comes out even better. He has been around for 17 years now and while he has kept the same volume of deliveries, the pace hasn’t dropped off and that’s what is special for me,” Dinesh Karthik stated.

“England have that larger vision of entertaining and rejuvenating Test cricket, bringing the kids and the crowds back. For Ben Stokes, Director of Cricket Robert Key And Brendon McCullum, the Ashes is just a step on that journey. It’s not a defining moment. They would love to win it and have Ashes at home. But they will still be driving with that vision irrespective,” Dinesh Karthik concluded.