Time to deliver
‘Potential’ and ‘promising’ must be the most over-used words in cricket.
Some players – such Chris Lewis and Graeme Hick – are described as promising for the majority of their careers.
But it’s results that matter. English cricket has overflowed with those that have promised much and delivered little and, if we want to avoid breeding another generation of nearly-men, we might have to be harder on those that don’t make the grade.
So there’s a growing sense of impatience towards the likes of Stuart Broad.
This is his 18th Test. He has a bowling average in excess of 40 and has taken just one five-wicket haul. For a man who sometimes takes the new ball and is part of a three-man seam attack, that isn’t good enough.
True, he’s played on some flat pitches. But that’s the nature of Test cricket. It’s not meant to be easy.
Besides, other bowlers – usually opposition bowlers – have managed to extract life from the same surfaces. The truth is that the pitch always seems to be flat when Broad is bowling. That can’t be a good sign.
He’s bowled poorly at Cardiff. Again, the pitch hasn’t helped him, but Broad has conceded more than four an over. His line and length have been too variable to create pressure and he doesn’t have the mastery of seam or swing to threaten.
Clearly he’s a talented fellow. Clearly the selectors need to show some faith in him.
But some time, and soon, he needs to repay that faith. Some time he needs to shape games with his bowling. Some time soon he needs to deliver.
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Not sure that’s entirely fair, very good bowlers don’t always have fantastic stats. Look at Flintoff.
Stuart Broad is not in the team on his bowling merits alone; his batting has made him a good number eight and possibly a future genuine al-rounder, however his bowling is a big factor in his selection and one would expect that to develop as he gains more experience.
Michael Vaughan described Broad as one of the ‘most intelligent bowler I have worked with’ and as arguably the best captain in modern times his opinion is one to be respected.
Broad has not performed to his full potential in this match, but neither have any of the England bowlers; the Australians have been able to extract pace, bounce and movement out of the the Cardiff pitch, and our guys haven’t.
Broad has already improved immensely and is now regularly being clocked in excess of 90 MPH, give him some more time!
You may be right. He’s only 23. But how much time?
Not sure about ‘very good bowlers don’t always have fantastic stats’ though…
You need to give him until the end of the Ashes to see how he copes with high pressure situations.
He has performed well in the past, he may not take many wickets but the ones he does take include very important ones (in the previous series he took the wickets of Gayle, Sarwan (2) and Chanderpaul (2)). A bowler doesn’t have to be taking wickets to be performing well; if the partner bowler is doing well more often than not he is getting good support from the other end, and Anderson’s performances versus the Windies have been fantastic.
Going back to the ‘very good bowlers don’t always have fantastic stats’ point; most cricket-lovers would accept that Freddie Flintoff is a very good bowler who was central to the Ashes victory in 2005, however he only has three first class five wicket hauls whereas Broad has eight already, and Broad’s a better batsman.
If you don’t rate Broad who would your first choice England attack be?
Not sure I said I didn’t rate him. I do. And James Anderson. Very much. But they’ve both been disappointing.
Who would I pick? Well, the depressing thing is, this is just about the best side. I’d have picked Broad. I’d be lying if I said the guys I’m going to suggest would necessarily make all the difference.
But… how about Kabir Ali (if fit), who has the best strike-rate of any English bowler in the game and is, these days, as quick as Anderson. How about Blackwell instead of Panesar. How about Glenn Chappell. And Onions, Rashid, Sidebottom, Tremlett (who is the most hostile bowler I’ve seen this summer), Shreck et al. There are other options. England seem a bit preoccupied with pace. McGrath was the slowest seamer on either side in the last Ashes series. Didn’t do him any harm, did it?
Fair point about Flintoff. Stats can never tell the whole story. But his bowling avergae is 8 fewer than Broad’s and I do think there’s some debate as to even his worth. In the end, it has to be about wickets and Flintoff simply doesn’t take enough.