Not long after tea on the fourth day, it seemed that this Trial was heading, as Stuart Broad put it, to a “giveaway.”
The West Indies required just 38 more runs to avoid follow-up and had six wickets on hand. On a slow surface, it looked like they could reach a position where England simply wouldn’t have time to force the victory that would underpin their hopes of winning the series.
“Everyone thought this game was going nowhere,” Broad said. “It looked like it was going to be a boring game.”
At that stage, Broad had figures of 0 for 64 of 19 overs. He had not, by any stretch of the imagination, played badly. But it also failed to produce the performance that proved last week’s non-selection was wrong. Yes, he was still a high-quality sailor with vast experience and a magnificent career behind him. But he had no longer shown that he was necessarily part of England’s first-choice attack.
But then England took the new ball. Within minutes, Broad had taken three wickets, each a recognized hitter, for one run, and the West Indies lost their last six wickets by 45. Suddenly, the game and the series were back in the balance. We could have another fascinating fifth day in the store.
It wasn’t exactly Jo’burg in 2016. And it wasn’t exactly Trent Bridge in 2015. Broad can’t generate the same beat or replicate the same movement. But it was an important spell that not only attracted England to this match, but showed that there was still life in the old dog.
“Jimmy has taken 130 trial wickets since I turned my age. Why can’t I do the same? I’m hungry.”
Except, as Broad points out, it’s not really that old. Perhaps because they formed one of the longest lasting associations in the history of English cricket, Broad and James Anderson often band together. And the fact is, Anderson, who is 38 years old on the 30th of this month, is almost four years older than Broad, who was 34 on June 24.
“Jimmy has taken 130 test grounds since I turned my age,” said Broad. “Why can’t I do the same? I’m hungry. My physical record is good. Why not try playing at Jimmy’s age and emulate his success? I think I can and I think he proved it today.”
Maybe Broad is at the stage of his career, where he needs a little help from the surface or from the conditions. Modern English parcels, with a drain that perhaps removes too much moisture from the surfaces, can dry out alarmingly quickly. Here, the new ball seemed to increase an increasingly unreliable rebound and introduced Jermaine Blackwood, in particular, one that remained horribly low.
But, as a bowler, you must still be able to exploit such assistance. And here, after deciding to simply focus on hitting the field as hard as he could with the new ball, Broad used his height and control to great effect.
Shamarh Brooks, forced to the rear foot by a series of short balls, was slow to come up with a fuller one that pinched before Shane Dowrich, who had just survived a gorilla that roared past his throat, was also caught in the crease. for the full track ball. The heavy roller may take a bit of life off the field before the West Indies beat again, but, with the possibility of two new balls on the last day, England, and Broad in particular, will still imagine their chances of forcing. the victory.
Broad spoke well after playing. He discussed his hopes for the future, his reaction to getting lost in Southampton and his thoughts on the game and its impact on him. But perhaps the most revealing moment was when, speaking through the three wicket blast, he simply said, “I loved that spell.”
And you can see why. Because it’s been a long time since Broad has cast such a spell. And with more and more evident that England is planning a future that does not depend on him or Anderson, it would only be human if he wondered if such an opportunity would arise again.
That will require some adjustments. For a long time, Broad’s place on the side was unassailable. But first in Sri Lanka, then in Barbados and now in Southampton, England they have left him out. Many successful players, with records and pride to preserve, could have decided to spend the day instead of being dragged back into the pack looking for a place. It has become increasingly obvious that the appearance of Jofra Archer will lessen your chances.
But Broad is not going to go silent. Such is his passion for staying on this level, he, at an age that others would one day call him, has reshaped his career and action and has decided to continue fighting for his place. There should be no doubt about your passion.
“I didn’t feel like I wanted to prove a point,” he said. “I did it in Barbados in 2019. But I don’t think there is any point in showing it here.
“I’ve had great success in the past two years. I was very successful in the ashes and I was the leader in wicket catching in South Africa. I had no burning desire to prove someone wrong as I really didn’t.” I feel like I have someone to prove me wrong. He had spoken in the field. “
Broad had previously played respectably but without actually threatening to produce such a spell. Not having played a first-class game since January, he seemed to be fighting for pace and lacking a lot of threat to his bowling alley. He admitted that he felt under a little pressure.
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But after Ben Stokes showed what could be accomplished in a hostile 11 spell, Broad did the same. By rolling around the gate, he generated a decent pace, in the mid-1980s for most of the day, he stopped putting the ball on a length and ran back hard and hitting it the traditional way that was so effective. for the likes of Glenn McGrath and Curtly Ambrose.
“I felt under a little bit of pressure here,” Broad said. “Every time you don’t have match practice, you feel additional mental pressure to hit your straps. I took a couple of spells to find my feet. I was probably a little careful at first.”
“Stokesey was an example. Short bowling from all over the wicket led me to my action and made me realize the pace I needed to hit the fold. So when the second new ball came, I found the right tempo.”
None of this means that Broad will necessarily play in the final game of the series. Even if he leads England to victory on Monday, he will have spent most of two consecutive days on the field and, with just three days between games, he might well decide to rotate the attack one more. Also, Anderson, Archer, and Mark Wood should also be available for that game. Broad is no longer an automatic selection.
But it bodes well for England that they have those resources. And it says something to Broad that, even now, at a time when he has nothing to prove, he is still determined to fight for his place. You will never know when you are hit. It is one of its great assets.
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