Broad steps up to the plate without Anderson

DURBAN: Stuart Broad stepped into the void left by an injury to England’s leading bowler James Anderson and delivered a stellar performance with three wickets and a cameo with the bat on Sunday.

Broad claimed three key victims to leave South Africa 137 for four after the second day of the first test, trailing England by 166 runs, after contributing 32 runs with a tail-wagging batting display in England´s total of 303.

With Anderson ruled out due to a calf strain, Broad led the England attack with relish, taking a wicket with his second ball and adding the valuable scalps of home captain Hashim Amla and talisman AB de Villiers.

"I feel like I´m more experienced and know my game more," Broad told reporters.

"It was nice to make a contribution like that and any early wicket certainly helps lift your game."

Broad conceded only eight runs in each of his two five-over spells to finish the day with outstanding figures of 3-16 as Anderson´s absence was barely felt.

"It was quite nice to have a choice of ends for a change," he joked.

"(Anderson´s replacement) Chris Woakes had it tough bowling into the wind; he took one for the team.

"But I don´t think I bowled particularly differently without Jimmy. It was just nice to start the series off with a couple of wickets."

It is not the first time Broad has thrived without Anderson. He took career-best figures of 8-15 in an unforgettable morning at Trent Bridge in the fourth Ashes test against Australia this year after Anderson had failed a fitness test.