Stuart Broad in Test cricket

[manee]

Simple question to the Planetcricket community; how much longer for Stuart Broad to pull some bowling performances together in Test cricket? It has been 10 Tests and he has just 26 wickets at 45.23 to his name. He was the big long term solution for the 2009 Ashes and it is not all negative, tbf. He averages 33.90 with the bat in Test cricket, but tbh, he is not there as a batsman if he can't pull any weight as a bowler.

The obvious answer is that, give him time and he'll be fine by the English Summer, but how much more time should he be given, surely he should not be permitted to average 45 with the ball for too much longer, not that I am suggesting he should be dropped immediately.

 

[Themer]

In my opinion they'll give him the next series against West Indies to prove himself, if he doesn't get alot of wickets then I think Harmison or Simon Jones or a pure bowler will come and replace him for the home series against the West Indies and the Ashes

 

[Kev]

The problem with having a youngster like Broad in the squad is you need the other bowlers around him to be on song, this way Broad can improve to hopefully grow and hopefully reach the potential that others see in him. Trouble is our other bowlers aren't exactly setting the world alight so he can't be protected when he isnt bowling well instead he is relied upon. So perhaps his future relies as much on how his bowling partners perform as much as it does on his past performances.

 

[treva]

Broad will perform, he's shown that he can do it in one day cricket. It's just a matter of time before he has a good series, and I believe he'll still be there come the Ashes.

 

[manee]

One Day and Test cricket are different games though and this is the cardinal sin which the England selectors are so keen to make with Broad. Broad's strength is with the new ball, in ODI, this is aided greatly by the white ball which assists him moreso than the red ball. His deficiencies with the old ball are hidden as he can pick up wickets at the death with the slower ball. However, in Test cricket, his lack of consistent line and length often results in a lack of pressure-building in spells and his weakness to extract movement with the old ball becomes a severe problem in terms of wicket taking.

manee added 6 Minutes and 45 Seconds later...

In my opinion they'll give him the next series against West Indies to prove himself, if he doesn't get alot of wickets then I think Harmison or Simon Jones or a pure bowler will come and replace him for the home series against the West Indies and the Ashes

Steve Harmison, perfectly proficient bowler within the British soil...the Great British soil, excuse me. In England, he has 128 wickets at 28.28 but outside England, he has 89 wickets at 36.60. Many countries are reluctant to compartmentalize players from ODI to Test cricket, never mind home and away within a single form of the game - but for the sake of England in the 2009 Ashes, he needs to come in to the side, assuming England haven't found some super-duper combination by then. It is a shame there is this reluctance to compartmentalize as the result is actually worse selection inconsistencies than trying to have the same squad all over the world, all three forms of the game - something I highly disagree with, if you haven't already for the message.

 

[The_gas]

Oh, i have no doubt about Broad, no doubt at all. I think he will become a quality bowler for England. He is young and improving, he just needs games to reach his potential. He has good variations, he learns quickly. I think he is currently England's brightest prospect.

 

[RoboRocks]

I agree with Treva. It's only a matter of time for me. I've seen an improvement in the test against India where he was attacking the stumps a bit more instead of aiming outside off stump where batsmen left the ball alone. His batting is very useful as well and he'll be a great asset for England in the future.

 

[Leggie]

Well he is definetley Englands most developing bowlers, He has shown on numerous occasions that he can move the ball both way on and off the pitch, He bowl at very good pace and his height is a plus factor for bounce. Any guy who can dismantle Dravids stumps like he did yesterday has quality in them. As for his batting, Well I can see him averaging in the mid 20's at the end of his Career if he keeps on batting like this at No.8. He'll definetley add more depth to the batting line up in Tests and ODI's.

 

[Sureshot]

I think he bowled really well in Mohali. I don't see him being dropped any time soon.

 

[Leicester Fox]

I think he will excel on the Windies tour. However he probably should have had more a grounding in the county game, in terms of development he had improved in FC cricket but I would say he was a year behind his OD bowling if you get what I mean. He had burst onto the scene as an OD bowler and had only recently got his FC average down to under 30.

 

[Mercules]

It took ages for Mitchell Johnson to come good in Tests so I'd be patient.

 

[Ollie_H]

He still hasn't :

 

[RoboRocks]

He's come up at the right time as well with England looking to build back a seam bowling quartet with the likes of Anderson and Flintoff. England need Harmison to perform or Sidebottom to recover from injury and England have a fair attack. Its just a question of whether Panesar or Swann is the spinner. Hopefully those questions can get answered in the West Indies.

 

[aussie_ben91]

Broad will perform, he's shown that he can do it in one day cricket. It's just a matter of time before he has a good series, and I believe he'll still be there come the Ashes.

Ask Nathan Bracken about that.

He still hasn't :

11 wickets in the last Test against South Africa? Including a devestating spell of 5-2 in the first innings?

All I can say is 6 sixes in an over... NEXT!

 

[manee]

I think he bowled really well in Mohali. I don't see him being dropped any time soon.

He definitely won't be dropped anytime soon since he is the poster boy of English cricket; the question is should he be dropped for perhaps looking good but performing poorly.

manee added 1 Minutes and 25 Seconds later...

Ask Nathan Bracken about that.

On the topic of Bracken though, he has done well in the Sheffield Shield, performing with superb economy. Indeed, although his wicket-taking ability may not be the best in the world, the superb accuracy which has got him through ODI cricket as one of the world's best will always hold him in good stead in the longer forms of the game.