Broad draws energy from England’s exciting future
Veteran bowler inspired by youngsters in side Root’s team favourites to wrap up series victory
Seldom does the wheel of Test cricket turn so far so fast. Three weeks ago, South Africa were 1-0 up and talking of revival, not terminal decline. Now Faf du Plessis, their captain, is going, their best bowler, Kagiso Rabada, has been banned for the fourth Test and they can barely scrape together a Test XI.
England, simultaneously, have come together as Joe Root’s team. By winning the past two Tests, they have demonstrated that the defeat in the opener at Centurion was an aberration, largely the result of the infection that plagued most of the touring party. Once healthy, they have overwhelmed South Africa by an ever-increasing margin and stand on the brink of their third victory in this series to set against that initial defeat.
The morning of the Centurion Test was the first day on this tour that Stuart Broad took his trousers and shirts out of their wrapper, so afflicted had he been since arriving in South Africa, and so few were the fit men available. The brainless attempt at “Bodyline” which he and Jofra Archer made, under the captaincy of Root then Ben Stokes, can now be excused as the work of sick men.
A happier memory for Broad is that four years ago, at the Wanderers, he had his one field day abroad. Those spells when he kicks up his heels and does not bother to turn round to the umpire when appealing, so plumb in front is the batsman, have otherwise been at home. But when he followed up his eight for 15 against Australia at Trent Bridge with six wickets for 17 against South Africa here, Broad went to No1 in the Test rankings.
Broad’s invaluable experience at the Wanderers – he was also here in 2010, when England were blown away by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and lost by an innings – is that pace bowlers must not get carried away. Broad will focus on making batsmen play every ball.
Perhaps the most seminal of all the pace bowlers who have had long England careers, Broad is keen in this game especially to have a very low “leave-percentage”.
“It’s a bit like Perth: bowlers can bowl back of a length, the keeper takes it head height and it looks great, but it’s actually not very effective,” he said. “You want to bring batsmen forward here. Not necessarily bring the stumps into play, because of the bounce, but get batsmen edging off the front foot and not getting cut.”
Of his famous spell here, he said disarmingly: “I’ve just watched it back on social media and it was probably less impressive than it felt. I suppose I made the batsmen play. It wasn’t as if I was swinging it round corners and bowling jaffas.
“It was a good spell in that we had a 13-run lead and it sort of sealed the series, but looking back this morning it wasn’t a particularly impressive spell of bowling. But the wickets came and that’s cricket. If you can create theatre as a fast bowler, a lot of the time things will work for you as the pressure builds on a team.”
The need for disciplined bowling which makes the batsmen play strengthens the case for Chris Woakes – he did exactly that in the Hamilton Test last November. Also, the risk of Archer and Mark Wood getting carried away in a duel to see who is England’s fastest ever suggests that one or other should play, not both.
Broad is not bothered whether he goes to Sri Lanka on England’s next tour – he did not take a wicket in his only Test there last time after replacing James Anderson, who was fruitless in the first two Tests – but he has set his sights on the first Test against West Indies in early June. Six Tests at home to West Indies and Pakistan this summer is, what, 25 wickets? That would take him well past 500, as only Anderson of all England bowlers has done.
It is inconceivable that Anderson, at 37, will ever tour again, but Broad does not rule out – not instantly – the prospect of touring Australia in two years’ time. It is because he is being energised by England’s youth.
“It’s a young team, but if you spend a bit of time with these young players, they’re incredibly mature. Crawley, Sibley, Pope, Curran, Bess – incredibly mature kids, and they absorb information very quickly. They’re very aware about how they want to go about their business. I’d say if we can win this series, it would be an amazing achievement.
“But one thing that’s made me pleased as a Test-playing, Test-loving 33-year-old: there’s this myth around sometimes that all youngsters want to do is play T20 cricket. Anyone comes into this environment, you couldn’t think that’s further from the truth.
“You’ve got guys hungry and desperate to develop as Test-playing cricketers: Pope, Crawley, Sibley, Curran, Archer. All these players have a desperate desire to have long, successful, Ashes-winning Test careers.”