Man-of-the-match Stuart Broad routed New Zealand on Sunday but insisted “attack leader” James Anderson was the man behind a thumping England first Test win at Lord’s.
Fast-medium bowler Broad took a Test-best seven wickets for 44 runs as New Zealand were dismissed for just 68 in pursuit of a target of 239 to give England victory by 170 runs, with more than a day to spare.
Anderson, set to be England’s key bowler when they bid for a third straight Ashes series win over Australia later this season, took five wickets in New Zealand’s first innings 207 — made in reply to the hosts’ modest 232.
In the course of that haul, Anderson became only the fourth England bowler to take 300 Test wickets after Fred Trueman, Bob Willis and Ian Botham.
“It’s a pretty special day for us, we wanted to make more of a contribution with the bat but we knew the ball was moving around,” Broad, who exploited the conditions superbly, said at the post-match presentation.
“I’ve come away with seven wickets but Jimmy Anderson was the leader of this attack, he got five wickets in the first innings and I think he should be coming up to get this man-of-the-match award,” he added in praise of his new-ball partner.