STU UP FOR A (SOCIALLY DISTANT) SCRAP
With no crowds to feed off, Broad is ready to get stuck in to the Windies batsmen and let them know they are in a fierce battle
STUART BROAD may have no choice but to pick a socially-distanced fight with the Windies batsmen in order to get his intensity up without a crowd.
The sterile, bio-secure atmosphere at the Ageas Bowl will challenge all the players who are used to full houses for Test matches in the UK.
For Broad in particular, a big-match beast, the silence will be deafening, which is why a battle between him and the batsmen could get him in the right mood.
But if he oversteps the line his dad, match referee Chris, may be having more than a fatherly word.
“It’s a worry for me because I know that I perform at my best as a player when the game is at its most exciting and when the game needs changing,” said Broad.
“I do know that I thrive off the energy of something happening in the game, a bit of excitement going on or with a big battle going on.
“I might do even more research into the opposition batsmen’s strengths and weaknesses so I’m very focused on getting in a competitive battle with the batsman instead of sometimes relying on the crowd to get your emotions going to be able to bowl at your best.
“I’ve already spoken to our sports psychologist about creating a bit of a mind-set around making sure I can get my emotions up to where they need to be at my best.
“Maybe I have to pick more of a battle with the opposition and bring my dad into things a bit more!”
With 485 wickets over 12-and-a-half years as a Test cricketer it would be a huge surprise if Broad wasn’t still a handful in home conditions for the West Indies batsmen, despite the empty grounds.
As a comparison, in the