OPINION
Follow UsHeight! An added advantage for a bowler, especially a quickie. The best examples would be the tall and fast West Indian bowlers of the ’70s and ’80s. Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Colin Croft etc., to name a few. England have also produced some great tall bowlers like Bob Willis, Chris Tremlett, Steve Finn, Steve Harmison and etc. The list includes Stuart Broad as well, perhaps the best of the lot to be precise.
Broad’s debuted at the international level in a T20I against Pakistan in 2006. Later in the same series, he made his ODI debut in Bristol. Initially, everything went south for the tall pacer in the shortest format. In the first couple of years in his T20I career itself, it was evident that he was not best suited for it. Who doesn’t remember the World T20 match against India in 2007?
But, his ODI career was off to a great start. In 2007, he bagged 25 wickets and followed it by taking 30+ wickets each in the upcoming three years. In four years (2006-2010) he took 124 wickets at an average of 25.7. He was the second quickest Englishman to 100 wickets in ODI. It was from 2011 that Broad suffered a plunge in his ODI form. In 48 ODIs since, he has bagged only 54 wickets at an average of 40.3.
IN TESTS
At the fag end of 2007, Broad made his Test debut against Sri Lanka on the back of his ODI success in the tour earlier. He played only one match in that year. The following year was rather an average one for him. His breakthrough year was 2009 which included a maiden five-wicket haul against West Indies. With 47 wickets in that calendar year in Tests, Broad’s quest to conquer got a boost.
In 2011, Broad did not go wicketless in the 14 innings he bowled in. His best year in Tests was 2013 when he bagged 62 wickets at an average of 25.8. He went past Sir Ian Botham’s wickets tally of 383 against West Indies in a Day-Night Test in Birmingham. Against New Zealand in 2018 in Auckland, he became the youngest pacer (31y and 271d) to bag 400 wickets in Tests.
His skills with the new ball are similar to his partner James Anderson. When compared to Anderson, Broad’s returns were similar in a set of every 50 Tests. In their first 50 Tests, Broad had 172 wickets at an average of 31.0 and Anderson had 181 wickets at an average of 32.1. In the next 50 matches, Broad had 189 wickets at an average of 26.5 and Anderson had 203 wickets at an average of 27.7. However, Anderson edges Broad in the last 51 matches.
Anderson has played more matches and bagged more wickets than Broad. Also, his superiority over Broad in terms of bowling average is what gives him the upper hand in the eye of the viewers and experts. Broad had been on par or better to say, had the edge over Anderson in terms of average in his first 100 matches. But the last 38 matches, the average difference with Anderson is the reason why his overall bowling average suffers a dip. Though not of express pace Broad is quicker when compared to Anderson.
A STALWART OF THE ASHES
Throughout his Test career, Broad has had some spells that were match-winning on their own. For instance, the spell against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2013 or the one against India at Old Trafford in 2014. But nothing comes close enough to the blistering spell at Trent Bridge in the 2015 Ashes. Playing on his home turf, Broad blew away Australia’s hope of retaining the Ashes in a single spell. Wrapping up Australia for a total of 60 in the 1st session of the 4th Test, Broad bagged 8 for 15. Comparatively, his Ashes exploits are superior to Anderson.
In his first Ashes series itself, Broad proved his might. In the 5th Test of the 2009 Ashes at The Oval, he bagged a 5-wicket haul that saw Australia bundled out for 160 in their 1st innings. This spell helped England gain a massive 172-run lead. England went on to win that match and regained the Ashes with a 2-1 series win. Since then he has been a stalwart for England in Ashes. He has bagged 20 wickets in an Ashes series four times. Bill O’Reilly (AUS), Glenn McGrath (AUS) and Dennis Lillee (AUS) are the other three bowlers to hold the same feat. Only Shane Warne has picked up 20 wickets or more in an Ashes series 6 times, which is the most.
Broad has the third-highest number of Ashes wickets for England. With 485 wickets to his name in Tests, Broad is sixth in the all-time list of wicket-takers in Tests.
Fast bowling is certainly a scrupulous, yet persuasive form of art in Tests. Every aspect comes into play, overhead conditions, shine on the ball, and not mention the tiring run-up. When in perfect harmony, a fast bowler could ravage any in-form batting line-up. Broad is one of the few fast bowlers around to enjoy that perfect harmony on multiple occasions.
