Broad proves he’s an old dog with bite to match bark
IF you talk the talk, you had better make sure you then go and walk the walk. that’s exactly what Stuart Broad has done here on his return to the england side.
once Broad had given Sky that interview during the first test — talking about his anger and disappointment at losing ‘his shirt’ — he was going to be under a bit of pressure in the second test at emirates old trafford.
It was almost a case of england saying: ‘Go on then, you have said how hard done by you feel at being left out, now go and show us.’ Broad has absolutely done that. Make no mistake, he wasn’t rested at the Ageas Bowl last week, he was left out. that’s why he was so cross ahead of his return to the team.
He did admit he was a little nervous before this game but not because of what he said during the first test. It was more because he hadn’t bowled for so long and would need time to get back into his rhythm.
But once england needed someone to stand up and do something, as they did after tea on day four, those legs started pumping, the aggression came out and Broad did what he has done so often in his 138 tests, taking almost 500 wickets.
It was felt before this series that players like Broad and Ben Stokes, who thrive off the crowd and atmosphere, might struggle to raise themselves behind closed doors.
Broad even admitted he had talked to a psychologist about that before the series.
But even in an empty stadium, they still have the knack of making special things happen.
Broad certainly can still produce wicket-taking spells from nowhere, which is exactly what he did with that three wickets for one run burst using the second new ball on Sunday. It turned the match around. A feature of Broad’s bowling in recent years is that he has gone fuller and fuller in length and you have to give Joe Root and Chris Silverwood credit for making
Broad buy into the fact that it was his idea. He has never liked his bowling being driven or going for runs and previous captains couldn’t convince him to change.
Now he is half a metre fuller in his regular length than he was around 2014 and 2015 — and 43 of his 93 wickets since the start of 2018 have been lbw or bowled, which is a great indicator of the success of pitching the ball up.
Broad was back on those same lengths yesterday morning, bowling straight and with good pace to take another three wickets with the new ball in West Indies’ second innings. It was just what england needed from him again.
He made a good point when interviewed at the end of the fourth day. Broad is put in the same category as Jimmy Anderson, just as Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were always inextricably linked before walking off into the sunset together.
But Stuart is four years younger than Jimmy and Anderson has taken 130 test wickets since he was Broad’s age. So there is no real reason why england should be worried about them retiring at the same time.
Broad is bowling as well as he has ever done, which is why I didn’t think he should have been left out in Southampton. Why would you rest him? Why wouldn’t he want to go on for another four years?
this is such an unusual summer that you do have to give the selectors a bit of leeway. I am not a great one for rotation but I can understand it with six tests virtually back to back and england will have to assess their options carefully again for the third test.
Broad’s skills are not diminishing. this is an older dog who is learning new tricks, so england should make the most of him while they can.