Stuart Broad hopes Australia try to fight fire with fire by trying to adopt England's aggressive approach in the Ashes.

England have enjoyed a significant upturn in fortunes since Brendon McCullum was appointed Test head coach and Ben Stokes replaced Joe Root as captain.

An attacking philosophy enabled them to secure an unprecedented 3-0 away series whitewash of Pakistan after they beat New Zealand and South Africa on home soil, as well as India in a rearranged Test.

They also drew 1-1 in New Zealand, losing a thrilling second Test by one run after making the Black Caps follow-on.

Seamer Broad believes Australia could come unstuck if they try to score at a rapid rate in the battle for the urn.

He told the Daily Mail: "'It's going to be a slight clash of styles and I'm fascinated to see how their bowling attack will defend against us.

"And it will be interesting to see how their batters stay calm because we play so aggressively now. Will they be able stick to their game plans and bubbles when we're playing this style? That will be a test for them.

"I think it would be great for us if Australia try to take us on at our own game. If we can get them playing in a slightly different style they could make mistakes and that would be brilliant for us.

"Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja are all guys who like to bat time and accumulate so if we can nibble away at them and just get them thinking 'why are we not scoring quicker? Why are we not moving the game forward?'

"We leave Jack Leach's mid-on and mid-off in all the time and Stokesey basically says 'you're not having them back. Let them keep hitting you'.

"And he's probably got more caught mid-offs now than lbs, so it's playing on minds. I'd love Smith to dance down the track and sky one to mid-off early doors. That would be classic."

England were hammered 4-0 in the last Ashes series in Australia, but Broad has written that off as "void".

"Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series," he said. "But in my mind I don't class that as a real Ashes. The definition of Ashes cricket is elite sport with lots of passion and players at the top of their game.

"Nothing about that series was high level performance because of the Covid restrictions. The training facilities, the travel, not being able to socialise. I've written it off as a void series."

Ben Stokes feels "blessed" to be working with such a strong bowling unit as England wrapped up a 267-run rout of New Zealand in the first Test in Mount Maunganui.

After Stuart Broad's mesmerising Saturday spell, in which he removed four of the Black Caps' top order, James Anderson swept up the tail as England finished an impressive job within one session at Bay Oval on Sunday.

During the match, Anderson and Broad – first and second on England's all-time list of Test wicket-takers – became the most successful partnership in the history of five-day cricket, tallying 1,009 combined by the end of the match to surpass the previous best of 1,001 achieved by Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.

With Ollie Robinson also in England's best XI, and Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Matthew Potts, Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood and Chris Woakes among those knocking on the door, captain Stokes is blessed with options ahead of the Ashes versus Australia later this year.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "It was another great performance – very clinical with the bat and very clinical with the ball. 

"When you look at the bowling attack we have got with the pink ball under the lights, we executed everything we wanted. To have Jimmy and Broady in your bowling attack, it is always going to be tough for the opposition.

"The most pleasing thing was that whatever New Zealand threw at us with the ball, we managed to react to that. It was entertaining cricket. Even though we came away with the result, [entertaining] is what we want to do. Some days it is not going to work, but thankfully everything we tried to do paid off.

"I am pretty blessed to be in charge of this bowling group at the moment. The idea is to take 10 wickets and that is what we are trying to do – taking the scoreboard away in any situation. 

"As long as we are taking 10 wickets, it doesn't really matter how many runs we go for. We have an ethos with the bat but also with the ball."

England have racked up six straight Test wins as the Stokes-Brendon McCullum revolution continues at a pace.

This represented a 10th win from 12 Tests as captain, the joint-fastest a skipper has reached the milestone.

"There are 10 other people who have to go out there and do a job," Stokes added to BBC Sport. "I'm very lucky to be able to captain this team at the moment.

"When you look at captaincy records, it's only a small part of it.

"It's not only my captaincy and ideas that are allowing us to play this way, you also have to have the players fully behind you, to follow you out there with what you want to do.

"I've got off to a great start with my captaincy, but most of that has got to go down to the players."

New Zealand captain Tim Southee felt his team created plenty of opportunities for wickets but did not do enough to stop England when they were in full attack mode.

"It is disappointing, but credit to England, strategically they played it pretty well. We were on the receiving end of a couple of night periods that obviously weren't ideal," Southee told Sky Sports.

"The style they play is going to present opportunities, and we saw that in the first innings. We got nine wickets in the end, and in the second innings we got all 10 – but it's about stopping the bleeding in between."

England secured a 1-0 series lead in their two-game Test series in New Zealand with a 267-run victory as the hosts' day four resistance was futile in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

The Black Caps resumed at 63-5 with an improbable target of 394 after Stuart Broad took four wickets with the pink ball in the third day's evening session, but lost another three inside the first four overs on day four to scupper any hopes of a rally.

New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 126 with Daryl Mitchell (57*) the lone hand for the hosts, as James Anderson took four day-four wickets to finish with 4-18 from 10.3 overs.

Veteran right-arm fast bowler Anderson led the way after Jack Leach got the first breakthrough with Michael Bracewell lobbing to Harry Brook at midwicket for 25.

Anderson claimed the wickets of Scott Kuggeleijn lbw and Tim Southee caught by Joe Root at first slip in successive balls in the next over, before also having a driving Neil Wagner caught behind by Ben Foakes.

Mitchell brought up his sixth Test half-century during a 35-run 10th-wicket partnership with Blair Tickner which lasted almost an hour but merely delayed the end.

Anderson got the final wicket, hitting the top of Tickner's off-stump to round out an emphatic victory before the lunch break.

The second Test is in Wellington starting on Friday.

Anderson and Broad extend record

Anderson and Broad made history on Saturday, breaking Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath's record for the most wickets playing together, which stood at 1,001.

Broad's four wickets on Saturday took them to 1,005, while 40-year-old Anderson's quartet on Sunday extended that further to 1,009.

Brook named best afield

There was no genuine standout performer for England throughout the match, but Brook was named Player of the Match for his scores of 89 and 54.

The honour came in only Brook's fifth Test for England, with his natural talent on display, managing a strike rate of 117.2 across his two innings.

Stuart Broad paid tribute to James Anderson after earning the England pair a place in the record books with a devastating display against New Zealand.

Broad took 4-21 on day three as he bowled four Black Caps top-order batters on Saturday, reducing the home side to 63-5 in their pursuit of 394 for victory in the first Test.

His efforts saw Broad and Anderson move to 1,005 Test wickets in matches where they have lined up in the same England team, going four past the record previously held by Australia greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Broad, 36, and 40-year-old Anderson have proven a remarkable pace partnership for England over the years, having first played on the same Test side at Wellington on a 2008 tour of New Zealand.

Fifteen years on, they remain key cogs in Brendon McCullum's England set-up.

Broad was quick to say Warne and McGrath remain a class apart, but he had fond words for Anderson, describing him as "a great leader to follow".

"It's a special country for us, New Zealand," Broad told BT Sport. "Back in 2008 at Wellington we came into the team together and to go past heroes of mine, growing up, in McGrath and Warne, certainly we're not in the category and quality of those two, they're absolutely heroic in what they did for the game.

"But to be up there and to have taken the amount of wickets with Jimmy – I feel very lucky and blessed to have been born in the same era as Jimmy, because certainly without him I wouldn't have been able to be at the other end taking wickets in the partnership that we've had.

"I've learnt so much from him throughout my career and he's probably the reason I'm still going at 36, in the way that he's done it."

England put up 374 in their second innings at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval, with Joe Root top-scoring with 57 amid a slew of useful scores, with eight batters each contributing at least 25 runs.

Broad said he liked the look of the conditions while observing Tim Southee bowling for New Zealand earlier in the day.

"I saw from Timmy bowling this morning when he rolled his fingers across a few, I saw the nip to Rooty," Broad said. "That was quite encouraging, actually.

"Although the pitch has played pretty true in the day, when the evening's come it's just jagged around a little bit, so my game plan was to try to hit the pitch as hard as I possibly can with the wobble seam, and it's almost the perfect dryness of pitch for my kind of bowling.

"I didn't have to chase too full. I could still bowl it hard into the pitch and bring the stumps into play, and it's always nice when you get a few quality batters out, bowled."

Stuart Broad's devastating bowling put England within sight of victory in the first Test against New Zealand as he snatched a wickets record from Australia greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Set 394 for victory after England posted 374 in their second innings, New Zealand crumbled to 28-5 at one stage before adding 35 runs without further losses by the close.

In the first innings of this contest at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval, Broad and James Anderson matched Warne and McGrath as the most successful bowling partnership in Test history, with 1,001 wickets between them when playing together.

Broad ensured the England pair would hold that record outright when he bowled four of New Zealand's top order second time around, removing Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Tom Blundell.

Blundell made a brilliant 138 in the first innings as New Zealand recovered from 83-5 to reach 306 all out, but he could only manage a single in his second knock of the match before Broad sent the pink ball clattering into his middle stump.

England resumed on 79-2 on Saturday, having lost Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley the previous evening, and nightwatchman Broad soon departed, but Ollie Pope lofted Neil Wagner for two sixes in an over as the tourists' 'Bazball' attacking approach resumed.

Wagner later dismissed Pope for a quickfire 49, but the same bowler continued to come in for the heavy treatment as England's assault continued.

Former captain Joe Root top-scored with 57 before he was caught out when reverse-sweeping. Harry Brook made 54 from just 41 balls, and Ben Foakes weighed in with 51, while skipper Ben Stokes (31) and Ollie Robinson (39) kept the runs flowing.

With New Zealand set a daunting target, Broad made it looked all the more distant when he got to work, bowling Conway in the fourth over to break the Warne-McGrath record.

Bowling to a superb length and with a touch of movement, Broad clattered the stumps of Williamson and Latham in his next two overs, then repeated the trip to dismiss Blundell. Robinson sent Henry Nicholls on his way amid the Broad masterclass, with England having this match in their grasp.

Broad at his best

Broad ended the day with 4-21, taking him to 571 wickets in his 160th Test. He has two six-wicket hauls in New Zealand from past series in 2013 and 2018, and his best bowling figures against the Black Caps remain the 7-44 he took at Lord's, also in 2013. Those hauls could come under threat on Sunday. He and Anderson took their first Test wickets as a pairing on a trip to New Zealand 15 years ago, and they remain the doyens of this England attack. 

England on the front foot thanks to nifty fifties

England's second innings was notable for its lack of an outstanding contribution. Collectively, the score was verging on being ideal, leaving New Zealand with a big run chase. But it was unusual for a team to score so heavily as a unit and Root's 57 to be unsurpassed. Given eight of the team made 25 or more, the absence of a statement individual innings hardly mattered in the end.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad have become the most successful bowling partnership in the history of Test cricket after Broad bowled Devon Conway in England's match against New Zealand on day three.

The late Shane Warne and fellow Australian great Glenn McGrath had previously held the record, having combined for 1,001 wickets during their illustrious careers.

It was a record that looked like potentially standing the test of time, with the two Australia legends retiring 16 years ago.

But the England pair moved level with them on day two of the first Test at Bay Oval on Friday when Anderson took 3-36 and Broad finished with figures of 1-72.

That was their 133rd appearance together – Warne and McGrath reached their total in 104 matches.

The record-breaking wicket came in the fourth over of New Zealand's second innings, with the hosts having been set a target of 394 to chase down for an improbable victory.

Broad left New Zealand at 14-1 after his around-the-wicket delivery snuck through Conway's defence, immediately celebrating with Anderson as the duo were well aware of what they had just accomplished.

Broad went on to bowl Kane Williamson in his next over, making it 14-2 after an Anderson maiden in between.

New Zealand was a fitting location for them to reach the landmark, with the pairing having first teamed up together in Wellington way back in 2008.

Tom Blundell frustrated England by making a magnificent century before New Zealand took two wickets under the lights on an enthralling day two of the first Test at Bay Oval.

The Black Caps were in trouble on 83-5 in reply to the tourists' 325-9 declared in Mount Maunganui, but Blundell made a Test-best 138 to get them up to 306 all out.

Devon Conway (77) also batted superbly after being dropped by Zak Crawley when he had only nine runs to his name on day one.

Blundell and Blair Tickner put on 59 for the final wicket before England closed on 79-2 in the day-night Test, leading by 98 after losing openers Ben Duckett and Crawley.

Neil Wagner hung around to make 27 after New Zealand resumed on 37-3 on Friday before falling to Stuart Broad, and the excellent Ollie Robinson (4-54) trapped Daryl Mitchell leg before without scoring.

Conway and Blundell combined for a 75-run stand, but the Black Caps were six down when the opener pulled Ben Stokes to Ollie Pope at square leg, and Jack Leach got in the act by removing Michael Bracewell.

Scott Kuggeleijn chipped in with 20 before Robinson cleaned up the debutant and sent Tim Southee on his way, so it was left for Tickner to dig in and enable Blundell to reach three figures.

Blundell's sublime knock was finally ended when he was caught and bowled by James Anderson (3-36), leaving the England batters a tricky period to bat late in the day.

Duckett (25) and Crawley (28) got starts but fell to Tickner and Kuggeleijn respectively. Broad had a life when Kuggeleijn and Blundell looked at each other rather than going for a catch after being sent in as a 'nighthawk', seeing it through to the close along with Ollie Pope. 

Blundell ensures it is game on

England would have had a substantial lead but for an outstanding innings from Blundell.

He made a fourth Test hundred, having also scored a century against England at Trent Bridge last year.

The wicketkeeper-batter struck 19 fours and a six, spending just over three hours at the crease to keep his team in the game.

Anderson and Broad equal record

Anderson and Broad matched the record set by Australia legends Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath for the most successful bowling partnership in Test history.

The England duo have 1,001 wickets between them when playing together after taking one apiece on day two, and they will surely break new ground in this match.

England Test captain Ben Stokes hailed his "exciting" bowling options ahead of the first Test of the tour of New Zealand.

Experienced duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been named along with Ollie Robinson for the Bay Oval Test, with Jack Leach providing the option of spin.

After struggling to find enough seam bowlers to field last year when several were out injured, including Jofra Archer, Robinson, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Sam Curran among others, Stokes now has a number to choose from.

And the 31-year-old said at a pre-Test press conference that it bodes well ahead of a busy summer that includes a home Ashes series.

"We've got a great crop of fast bowlers coming through England at the moment and it's exciting," he said. "It's a great place to be in now, considering the first game we had last summer when we probably had only three or four seamers to pick from. I'd rather be in a position where I'm scratching my head about who to pick.

"The one thing I did say to the medical team is just give me eight fast bowlers to choose from. We always want variety in our bowling line-up. We've got Jimmy and Broady with experience and you want some kind of X-factor in there.

"I feel heading into this summer we're in a position where we feel we've got that."

Stone and Matthew Potts were recalled as part of the touring squad, though both missed out on being named in the side for the first Test.

"With Stoney, I think it's great to have him back around the group after a potentially career-ending injury [stress fractures in his back]," Stokes added. "To see him back, bowling quick and bowling aggressively, which is what we want him to do, is great signs for us.

"Pottsy is just going from strength to strength for someone who's not played that much cricket really. I think he proved last summer what a great find he was."

Stuart Broad will return when England attempt to keep riding on the crest of a wave at the start of the Test series against New Zealand.

Broad missed a historic 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan to stay at home for the birth of his first child, but Ben Stokes has confirmed the paceman will be back in the team for a first day-night Test that starts at Bay Oval on Thursday.

Olly Stone will miss out as Broad, Anderson and Ollie Robinson have got the nod along with spinner Jack Leach for the pink-ball contest in Mount Maunganui.

Cyclone Gabrielle has affected the preparation for two sides who met in a Test series last year that ended with England celebrating a 3-0 clean sweep. That came at the start of a new era under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

England have won nine of their 10 Tests since Stokes and McCullum took charge, while New Zealand have failed to win any of their past five series and also have a recently appointed skipper in Tim Southee.

The Black Caps have not lost a home series in the longest format for almost six years, though, and they will be out for revenge over former New Zealand captain McCullum and Christchurch-born Stokes.

Stokes is determined to carry on getting the best out of his team-mates, with an Ashes series at home to Australia on the horizon.

The all-rounder said: "I'm at a stage now where I would much prefer to leave a mark on other people's careers than look to make mine more established.

"I've played a lot of cricket and done some great things with some great teams over the years. Being captain, I've got a real desire to make the best out of the team I've got here and players who will come in in the future.

"That's one of my goals as England captain: to hopefully let some of these guys in the dressing room here just have an amazing career. If I can influence that in any way shape or form, then I'll be happy."

Jamieson blow for Black Caps

New Zealand will have to do without Kyle Jamieson for the two-match series after the paceman suffered a suspected stress fracture of his back.

Left-arm seamer Matt Henry will also be absent for the first Test as he awaits the birth of his first child.

Uncapped duo Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn have been called into the squad following the loss of Jamieson and Henry.

Tourists out to end 15-year wait for series win

England have been beaten 1-0 in their past two Test series in New Zealand.

You have to go back to 2008 for the last time they won an away series against the Black Caps in the longest format, when they came from behind to take a 2-1 victory.

Ryan Sidebottom took 7-47 in the first innings of the decider in Napier to set up that win, with McCullum among his victims.

Ollie Pope is not thinking about captaining England after Stuart Broad suggested he could be a future Test skipper.

Pope has graduated to a regular presence within Ben Stokes' side over the past year, with the rich form to back up his place.

A haul of 138 runs across December's three-game series with Pakistan further underlined his presence under Brendon McCullum.

Pope captained England against a New Zealand XI in their tour warm-up earlier this week, leading Broad to praise his abilities as a potential successor.

"I think Pope is a great leader in the group, actually," Broad said. "He's grown so much in the last year, the way he operates, the confidence and responsibility he's been given.

"He speaks really well in the group, he's got a great cricket mind. There's no doubt you can see him as a future England captain."

The 25-year-old is keeping a lid on any such notions, though.

"I don't necessarily see that," he told reporters. "I'm going to keep developing my cricket brain. If that opportunity came up in the future, I'll make sure I can learn as much as possible before then.

"But at the same time, I realise I've got a big job at number three to keep doing. If I can keep impressing there who knows what the future holds.

"I'll keep learning and developing as an all-round cricketer as much as I can. If that happens [and I become England captain], great. If not, that's okay."

Stuart Broad is back in the England fold after making the squad for February's Test tour to New Zealand, as teenager Rehan Ahmed sits out the series.

Veteran bowler Broad, who is England's second-highest wicket-taker in international red-ball cricket after James Anderson, missed this month's 3-0 series success against Pakistan following the birth of his first child.

The 36-year-old Nottinghamshire seamer is one of three players who return to the squad, along with Durham's Matthew Potts and Essex's Dan Lawrence.

Ahmed, who became England's youngest men's Test player when he debuted in the third and final match against Pakistan in Karachi, is omitted as part of a wider management plan for his progression.

The 18-year-old will instead head to the UAE T20 League in the new year, with a view to him possibly earning white-ball international honours during March's tour of Bangladesh.

Paceman Mark Wood is rested after a busy few months in which he has been one of just two England players to feature in both white-ball and red-ball series against Pakistan, as well as the T20 World Cup in Australia. Harry Brook was the other to have featured throughout in England's squads, but the batter retains his place for the two-match New Zealand trip.

England Test squad: Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Olly Stone.

Rehan Ahmed's strong Test debut for England was aided by Ben Stokes' low-stakes approach to his captaincy, believes Stuart Broad.

The 18-year-old became the country's youngest male red-ball debutant, eclipsing Brian Close's 70-year-plus record, after making his bow against Pakistan in Karachi on Saturday.

In the third and final match of England's tour, Ahmed posted figures of 2-89, with only Jack Leach bowling more overs than the spinner as they skittled the hosts for 304 all out.

Broad, who has sat out the trip to Pakistan, suggested the teenager was able to play without pressure thanks to Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum's aggressive style to long-form cricket, crediting their impact as key.

"Leg-spinners can offer such variety," he told Sky Sports. "The bowling deserves a lot of credit.

"With Brendon and Stoksey, the mindset is nothing about run rate and as a young leg spinner, imagine what a mindset that is.

"He wouldn't have felt judged or under pressure; all they are saying is get us that one wicket to open the game up for us. The mindset played beautifully into his hands."

England are looking to seal a clean sweep after winning their first two games, and Ahmed is likely set to play a major part in helping to restrict Pakistan's second innings.

Former captain Michael Atherton believes Ahmed can stake a claim to be a long-term part of Stokes' plans, highlighting his improvement across his spells on the first day.

"We can all imagine what he was feeling at the end of his mark, but he quickly settled and got better," he added. "Temperament is the big thing, and he looks temperamentally sound."

Stuart Broad refused to categorise himself in the same class as Glenn McGrath, despite having surpassed the Australia great's Test wicket tally.

Broad took his 564th wicket in the longest format on Sunday when he dismissed South Africa captain Dean Elgar leg before wicket at The Oval.

While replays revealed the ball was missing the stumps, Elgar did not review the decision and so Broad, who had matched McGrath's haul of 563 wickets on Saturday, became the seam bowler with the second-most dismissals in Test cricket, behind team-mate James Anderson (667).

Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) are also ahead of Broad - who finished with figures of 3-45 as England reduced South Africa to 169 all out - on the all-time list.

Zak Crawley's superb, unbeaten 57 guided England to within 33 runs of victory until the umpires called time for bad light, with the hosts set to resume on day five with 10 wickets to spare.

"Really special," Broad said in a press conference when asked how it felt to overtake McGrath.

"Jimmy [Anderson] got his 564th [wicket] on September 11 four years ago as well, so that was quite funny. Glenn McGrath's a hero of mine, the reason I wanted to become a bowler, I used to imitate him in the garden.

"Obviously he's a much finer bowler than I've ever been, but it's incredible to be up there in that kind of company and really special to have joined Jimmy as a one-two with him being a great mate and someone who I've shared a fantastic partnership with for a long time."

England are closing in on a sixth Test win of the Brendan McCullum-Ben Stokes era, out of seven matches, with the 'Bazball' approach continuing to receive plaudits.

"It's been incredible to be a part of," Broad said.

"The mindset that those two guys have brought to our changing room and Test cricket as a whole, it's been reinvigorating as a player – no consequences, trying to play cricket on the front foot all the time, I feel it suits my mindset and how I like to play my cricket.

"Just being in a room full of players that want to move the game forward at speed, at no stage is there ever talk about draws or surviving, it's all about taking the positive mindset option at all times.

"It's been incredible how those two have worked together and the messaging has been so united, you feel really backed if you play in the style of cricket those two have created.

"We're now at the stage where every player has contributed throughout the summer, which is a really healthy place to be and as a fan it's been really exciting. We’ve had times where we've been 50-6, 50-7 and got ourselves out of trouble with that mindset."

Asked if he believes he still has plenty to offer, Broad added: "I feel great, I'm 36, feel like I bowled really well, got a bit more luck in this series but if I can keep adapting my game, whether that continues in the winter or the Ashes, it's nice to have that adaptability and do a role for the captain."

James Anderson claimed Brendon McCullum's England have changed the way the world views Test cricket as they closed in on a series win over South Africa.

McCullum has introduced a thrilling style since taking over as England's red-ball coach in May, leading the side to a whitewash of New Zealand and a terrific chase victory over India at Edgbaston. 

While South Africa dealt the coach-captain duo of McCullum and Ben Stokes their first Test match defeat last month, the hosts are on the brink of completing a 2-1 series triumph over the tourists after impressing with both ball and bat at The Oval on Sunday.

England will require just 33 runs to wrap up a fourth consecutive series win over the Proteas when the decisive third Test resumes on Monday, and Anderson is relishing their revival. 

"It's been amazing, I'll be honest, Baz [McCullum] has been a breath of fresh air. He's come in and it just feels positive, there's a positive atmosphere in that dressing room," Anderson told Sky Sports.

"The messages he sends about going out there and trying to entertain, everyone's bought into it. Some days it hasn't paid off, but when it has, it's spectacular. 

"It's changed the way not only some of the players have thought about Test cricket, but maybe even the way the world thinks about Test cricket. 

"Hopefully we can get the job done tomorrow. Still 33 runs to get on a tricky wicket, we'll just try and get it done as professionally as we can."

With 667 wickets in the format, Anderson is the third most prolific bowler in Test cricket history, behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).

He was joined in the top five of that illustrious list by Stuart Broad on Sunday, as his three dismissals moved him clear of Glenn McGrath with 566 red-ball wickets.

Anderson was delighted by his team-mate's achievement, adding: "It means a lot to him because of how high he held Glenn in his eyes.

"So for him to go past him, it means a lot to him and shows the amount of work he's put in, the dedication to his job, and his skill as well. It's a pleasure to bowl at the other end."

Having benefited from the decision to stop play for bad light when South Africa were on top on Saturday, England were left frustrated after not being given the opportunity to finish the visitors off a day later.

Despite his annoyance at the umpire's decision to call time, Anderson remains confident England will see the match through on Monday, adding: "It's obviously frustrating from our point of view, because the rate we were scoring at, we might only have needed another five or six overs. 

"The guys were seeing the ball pretty well and with a good crowd in here it would have been nice to finish it. 

"The point of view of the umpires is they took a reading yesterday, that's the precedent for the whole game, and I think their message was if it rained all day tomorrow it would be unfair on South Africa to get the game done today.

"It's frustrating, but hopefully we'll come back and get the job done.

"I'd like to think that common sense would prevail. At the minute, the reading is the precedent for the rest of the game, but in certain situations you do think common sense could come into play."

England enjoyed a fantastic day at The Oval to close in on victory in the third and series-deciding Test against South Africa.

In the hunt for a fourth consecutive Test series win against the Proteas, England bowled and batted superbly on Sunday to leave them requiring just 33 runs on day five with all 10 wickets still in hand.

The hosts wanted to get the win wrapped up early when Alex Lees (32 not out) and Zak Crawley (57 no) powered them to within touching distance of victory, but bad light stopped play to the frustration of a full house and England captain Ben Stokes.

England had started the day at the crease but secured only a 40-run lead, requiring Stokes (3-38) to lead the England attack in their response, making the breakthrough when he drew an edge from Sarel Erwee (26).

Stuart Broad (3-45) also contributed handily, even if his first wicket – moving him past Glenn McGrath into fifth in the all-time list – came as Dean Elgar opted not to review an incorrect lbw decision.

James Anderson lured Keegan Petersen into an edge to Ollie Pope, then Broad exploited a weakness in Ryan Rickelton's defence.

Ollie Robinson's 50th and 51st Test wickets further diminished South Africa's hopes, before Stokes capped a draining spell with dismissals either side of tea, delivering a beauty to Marco Jansen (4) and finding an edge from Kagiso Rabada (0).

Broad and Anderson completed the job to leave South Africa 169 all out and set a target of 130, although England then survived a series of early scares.

Rash work from Lees saw him put down by Jansen, only narrowly escape when he appeared to be run out and loop a wild shot just beyond Keshav Maharaj.

Lees and Crawley soon settled, though, with the latter lashing his way to 50 in 36 balls before the umpires called time, much to England's chagrin.

Stoic Stokes leads by example

England's captain was clearly struggling with that troublesome, persistent left knee injury, but he kept himself in the attack late in the second session.

That paid dividends with the brilliant dismissal of Jansen that brought on tea, the swing on the delivery leaving the batsman with little chance as it knocked off leg stump, and Stokes carried on that form after the break when he sent Rabada packing. 

Those wickets came in the ninth over of a marathon 11-over spell, and Stokes was clearly in pain by the end of it, requiring treatment for the efforts that brought England to the brink of a sixth win in seven Tests under Brendon McCullum.

Broad joins Anderson at the top

Broad's first wicket of the innings might have come in bizarre fashion, but it saw him surpass Australia great McGrath as Test cricket's second-most successful seam bowler.

Partner in crime Anderson is the only paceman to have taken more wickets than Broad in the longest format, and Sunday bizarrely marked four years to the day since the 40-year-old had himself passed McGrath against India.