Stuart Broad praises England after T20 win over India
- Published
England captain Stuart Broad hailed his side's character after they fought back to beat India by six wickets in a riveting Twenty20 international.
India slumped from 104-1 to 165 all out at Old Trafford, with the impressive Jade Dernbach taking 4-22.
"We probably didn't start as well as we might have done," said Broad.
"But the way we clawed it back was testimony to the character of the side. It was fantastic to see a few guys really stand up and deliver."
Broad paid special tribute to fast bowler Dernbach, who is becoming a key performer for England in the limited-overs formats.
Former captain Michael Vaughan compared the Surrey paceman, playing in only his second Twenty20 international, to Darren Gough, who was a key bowler for England during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Dernbach, 25, varied his pace and length to great effect to claim career-best figures and equal Paul Collingwood's best-ever figures by an England bowler in the game's shortest format.
"Jade's four-fer was fantastic. He showed all the skills that got him into this England side," said Broad after his first victory as Twenty20 skipper.
"Anyone who comes in feels very welcome and has confidence and ability to show their skills. Jade hasn't been involved in the Test matches but comes in and bowls the way he does.
"That is testament to the way the bowlers have been operating at the moment and hopefully we can continue that throughout the English summer and into the winter."
South Africa-born Dernbach said he was thrilled to be making an impact in international cricket.
"Bowling is about constantly changing and staying ahead of the game," he said. "As long as I can do that and stay ahead of the batters, long may my success continue."
"It is brilliant to have the responsibility of the end overs but as long as I can keep doing it for the team that is the most important thing for me."
After Dernbach's heroics with the ball, Eoin Morgan provided the cornerstone of England's run chase with a wonderfully creative innings of 49.
But after his dismissal, Ravi Bopara and Samit Patel struggled to keep up the scoring rate and the hosts went into the final over still needing 10 runs.
Patel got lucky with a thin edge to the fence before finally finding his range to power England over the line with two more boundaries.
"It was a little bit worrying only getting three off the penultimate over but I was delighted to finish it pretty quickly in the final over," said Broad.
"Special mention must go to Eoin Morgan. He has been our best limited overs batsman for some time now. He allowed Ravi to go along at a run a ball, and having batsmen in hand at the end was crucial."
The victory gives England a confidence boost as they go into the one-day series, with the first of five matches starting at Durham's Riverside ground on Sunday.