Stuart Broad, the experienced fast bowler from England, has been developing a unique technique to outmaneuver the Australian duo of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Broad is currently representing Nottinghamshire in the County Championship Division 1 and has managed to take nine wickets in two games, with an average of 22.44. In his recent match against Middlesex at Lord’s, Broad displayed impressive figures of 4/68 and 3/83. He even bowled an exceptional outswinger to dismiss Cameron Bancroft by uprooting his off-stump.
Stuart Broad recently spoke to reporters about his collaboration with Nottinghamshire’s bowling coach Kevin Shine to refine his bowling action and enhance his outswinger. He said
“I’ve been working on this load-up with Kevin Shine, our bowling coach, to create more flow in my bowling action, because sometimes my action can get a little bit jerky. Just lifting my bowling and higher creates a lot more motion and a lot more flow … (Shine’s) quite excited by what it’s doing. It was nice to see last week the ball I’ve been working on come to fruition with Bancroft. The ball swinging away from the right-hander is something this flow will create more of.”
Broad revealed that he intends to utilize the outswinger along with his wobble seam delivery specifically to counter the likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne during the 2023 Ashes series, scheduled for June. He believes that the new technique will offer him an added advantage in his bowling and enhance his ability to challenge the top Australian batsmen. He further added
“It’s designed, to be honest, for Marnus and Smith. It’s the reason I wanted to change something, to try and bring their outside edge in more. My stock delivery will always be wobble seam trying to nip back on off stump, because I think that’s the most dangerous ball. But to those guys, I think dragging them across with away swing is quite important. So this action tweak is pretty much designed at those two, and it was good to see it really swinging away today.”
Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad Aims for Major Milestone in Ashes 2023
Stuart Broad has an impressive record against Australia, having taken 131 wickets in 35 Tests against them, at an average of 29.05. He currently ranks as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Ashes history, trailing Hugh Trumble (141), Glenn McGrath (157), and Shane Warne (195).
Broad was a member of England’s previous Ashes squad under Joe Root but was dropped from the team for the first and third Tests in Brisbane and Melbourne, respectively.
At 36 years old, Broad is closing in on a significant milestone, as he is just 24 wickets away from becoming only the fifth bowler in Test cricket history to take 600 dismissals. He will join his long-time teammate and bowling partner James Anderson in achieving this feat, and the upcoming Ashes series presents an ideal opportunity for him to reach this landmark.