England look to handle Broad with care after injury returns
ENGLAND are weighing up whether to risk Stuart Broad in the opening Test of the summer against South Africa due to the fast bowler’s ongoing heel problem.
Broad had a scan after he was able to bowl only one over for Nottinghamshire against Leicestershire yesterday and was expected to learn the results later today.
Broad has been managing the condition in his left heel for some years. It forced him to fly home early from a Test series in India in 2012 and he has worn customised bowling boots ever since.
Broad, who turns 31 on Saturday, is one of England’s most important Test players but the schedule invites caution. The four-match Investec Series against South Africa, which starts at Lord’s on July 6, begins a run of 11 Tests in six months.
After South Africa, there are three home Tests against West Indies before England travel to Australia for five Ashes Tests. Broad was said to be desperate to play at Lord’s but it would be no surprise to see the England selectors and management hold him back for at least one match.
Broad will almost certainly miss next week’s day/night round of Championship matches, which England players will use as a dry run for the pink-ball Test against West Indies at Edgbaston in August. England’s Ashes Test at Adelaide will also be a day/night clash, and it is likely their Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland, next March will be, too.
Broad is also a severe doubt for Notts’ Royal London One-Day Cup Final against Surrey at Lord’s on July 1. And if he missed the Test, it would leave England without two of their three best pace bowlers. Chris Woakes suffered a side strain during the opening game of the Champions Trophy, against Bangladesh on June 1, and seems certain to miss at least the first two Tests.
England may select Broad as part of an extendednded squad, which wouldld also include his Notts team-mate Jake Ball. Ball is the l i k e l i e ss tt replacement for Woakesakes while Middlesex’s Toby Roland-Jones (right), who has 22 Championship wicketsickets at 31.5 apiece this summer,mer, would also come into contentionntion along with Steve Finn and Liam Plun-Plunkett.
Luckily for new Testst captain Joe Root, Jimmy Andersonn has recovered well from his thigh injurynjury and was fit enough to take part in Lancashire’s Championship meetingng with Hamp-Hampshire, bowling 28 oversrs in the first innings.
Between them, Andersonderson and Broad have 835 Test wickets and are one of the finest new-ball partnerships England have had. Root and coach Trevor Bayliss also have problems to ssoolve in the batting ororder. Haseeb Hameed, of LLancashire, appeared certain to be Alastair Cook’s opening partner but he is still waitinwaiting for his first Championshippionship 50 of the summer, while Durham’sDu Keaton Jenningsnings has also lost form. That brings MarkM Stoneman, who has dondone well since joining SurrSurrey, into the picture. Does Root stay at No3 or drop back to No4? Jonny Bairstow has susurely done enough to bat in the top six. Could Adil Rashid play as a secondond spinner?s
Root and Bayliss will need to pprovide convincing aannsswers to all those quequestions if England are to stastart their Test summer well.