Not long after the fourth day of tea, it looked like this test, as Stuart Broad put it, was headed for a “boring draw”.
West Indies only needed 38 runs to avoid succession and had six gates in hand. On a slow surface, it looked like they could find themselves in a position where England just didn’t have time to force the win that would support their hopes of winning the series.
“Everyone thought this game wasn’t going anywhere,” said Broad. “It looked like it was going to be such a boring game.”
At this point, Broad had 0 for 64 out of 19 overs. He hadn’t bowled badly. But he hadn’t produced the performance either, which proved that last week’s non-selection was wrong. Yes, he was still a high quality sailor with great experience and a great career behind him. But he hadn’t proven anymore that he was necessarily part of England’s first choice attack.
But then England took the new ball. Within minutes, Broad had taken three gates – each a recognized hitter – for a run, and the West Indies lost their last six gates for 45. Suddenly the match and series were back in balance. We could have another exciting fifth day ahead of us.
It wasn’t quite Jo’burg in 2016. And it wasn’t quite Trent Bridge in 2015. Broad can’t quite pace or repeat the same movement. But it was an important saying that not only did England pull back into this match, it also showed that the old dog still had life.
“Jimmy has taken 130 test pies since my age. Why can’t I do that too? I’m hungry.”
Except, as Broad points out, he’s actually not that old. Perhaps because they have formed one of the most enduring partnerships in the history of English cricket, Broad and James Anderson are often grouped together. The fact is that Anderson – who is 38 on the 30th of this month – is almost four years older than Broad, who was 34 on June 24th.
“Jimmy has taken 130 test wickets since my age,” said Broad. “Why can’t I do the same? I’m hungry. My fitness record is good. Why not try to play at Jimmy’s age and mimic his success? I think I can and I think that proved that today.”
Perhaps Broad is in the phase of his career in which he needs a little support from the surface or the conditions. Modern English pitches with drainage that may draw too much moisture from the surfaces can dry alarmingly quickly. Here the new ball seemed to reinforce an increasingly unreliable jump, and in particular, Jermaine Blackwood presented one that stayed terribly low.
But as a bowler you still have to be able to use this help. And here, after deciding to concentrate on hitting the field as hard as possible with the new ball, Broad used its size and control with great effect.
Shamarh Brooks, pressed by a series of short balls on the back foot, slowly came to a fuller one that withdrew before Shane Dowrich, who had just survived a bouncer who roared past his throat, also caught the crease The follow-up became full of ball. The heavy scooter may take a bit of life out of the field before West Indies hit again, but with the possibility of two new balls on the last day, England – and Broad in particular – will still have their chances of winning Appreciate victory.
Broad spoke well after the game. He spoke of his hopes for the future, his reaction to the absence in Southampton and his thoughts on the game and its effects on it. But perhaps the most revealing moment was when he spoke through this three wicket outbreak and simply said, “I loved this spell”.
And you can see why. Because it was a long time ago that Broad created such a magic. And as it becomes increasingly clear that England is planning a future that is not based on him or Anderson, he would only be human if he wondered if such an opportunity would ever come up again.
This requires some adjustments. Broad’s place in the page was inviolable for a long time. But first in Sri Lanka, then in Barbados and now in Southampton, England left it out. Many successful players – with records and pride to keep – may have decided to call it a day instead of being pulled back into the pack to look for a place. It has become increasingly apparent that Jofra Archer’s creation will reduce his chances.
But Broad won’t go quietly. His passion for staying at this level is so great that at an age that would otherwise be called a day, he redesigned his approach and action and decided to continue fighting for his place. There should be no doubt about his passion.
“I didn’t feel like I wanted to prove a point,” he said. “I was in Barbados in 2019, but I don’t think it makes sense to prove it here.”
“I have had a really successful success in the past two years. I have had a lot of success in the ashes and was the leading wicket taker in South Africa. I did not have the burning desire to prove the opposite to someone I really did not . ” I don’t feel like I have someone who turns out to be wrong. I spoke on the field. “
Broad used to bow respectably, but never really threatened to cast such a spell. After not playing a top-notch game since January, he seemed to be struggling to keep up with the rhythm and lacked much of a threat to his bowling. He admitted that he felt pressure.
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But after Ben Stokes showed what could be achieved in a hostile 11-over spell, Broad followed suit. He made a decent pace of bowling around the wicket – for most of the day in the mid-1980s – he stopped stretching the ball, ran back hard, and knocked it down in the time-honored manner known as proved to be as effective as those of Glenn McGrath and Curtly Ambrose.
“I felt a little under pressure here,” said Broad. “Every time you have no match training, you feel additional mental pressure to hit your straps. I used a few spells to find my feet. I was probably a bit careful early on.
“Stokesey was an example. The short bowling around the wicket got me into action and made me realize the speed at which I had to hit the fold. When this second new ball came, I found the right pace.”
None of this means that Broad will necessarily play in the series’ endgame. Even if he leads England to victory on Monday, he has just spent most of two consecutive days on the field, and with just three days between games, it can be decided to turn the attack over again. Anderson, Archer and Mark Wood should also be available for this game. Wide is no longer an automatic selection.
But it is a good sign for England that they have such resources. And it says something to Broad that even now, at a time when there is nothing left to prove, he is determined to fight for his place. He will never know when he will be hit. It is one of his great assets.
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