Anxious Broom is yet to sweep all before him
HITTING the ground running can be a big ask in any situation and Derbyshire’s New Zealand import Neil Broom admits that it has taken him time to find his feet on the circuit.
Even though the 32-year-old, who holds a British passport, has Otago team-mates Hamish Rutherford and Jamie Neesham in the Derby dressing room, he found the questions posed by batting in a cool English Spring coupled with a desire to make an early impression demanding.
Perhaps a run of low scores leading up to this week’s game against Kent was not surprising given the fact that one of the world’s top batsman, South Africa’s Hashim Amla, managed only one 50 during his short stint with the county in 2015.
Adjusting to a new environment takes time, no matter how good the player, but Broom was still relieved to make his first major contribution when he shared a stand of 161 with Wayne Madsen after Matt Coles had taken three quick wickets.
“At 35-3 I went in there with Mads to resurrect things and personally I’ve been struggling for runs, so that was added pressure as well,” Broom said.
“To get through in that partnership was very pleasing. When I went out there it was pretty spicy and Coles was bowling really well, but then it flattened out and was not as tough to score on.
“I was determined to spend some time at the crease after missing out the last five games, so it was a battle mentally rather than anything else out there for me personally. Once I got to 40 or 50 it started to feel a bit more natural and hopefully that bodes well.”
Broom was outstanding in the last domestic season in New Zealand so was frustrated not to bring that form with him.
“In an ideal world you want to get in there and prove yourself to your team-mates but it doesn’t always work like that,” he added.
“It’s just one of those things. I came over here pretty confident after a good season back home. You come to a new club and I probably just wanted it a little bit too much, put a bit too much pressure on myself.
“You want to go well straight away and prove yourself to your team-mates and if you do start well, it’s easier to make the transition but if you don’t and you get a little bit down confidencewise, it’s sometimes hard to get yourself back up, which is the situation I found myself in but I just need a couple more scores and then I’ll be back into it.”
As Sri Lanka discovered at Headingley, batting in England can be hard and Broom can empathise with the tourists.
“There definitely is a period of adjustment needed when you come over here,” he said. “The pitches aren’t what I was expecting, they are a little bit flatter, but the Dukes ball swings around for longer periods. Back home I know the surroundings and when you come to new grounds, it’s sometimes tough to adapt.
“Over here getting used to the swinging ball strips down your technique, especially against the guys that bowl medium pace, when it’s not coming on that much.”
In the end, even Broom couldn’t stop Derbyshire from collapsing and handing Kent what turned into a relatively simple victory.
It had been built on Sean Dickson’s maiden double century before Calum Haggett and James Tredwell got in on the act with the ball.
Daniel Bell-Drummond continued his fine form with an unbeaten 80 as Kent wrapped things up on day four, Alex Blake winning it with a maximum.