Filed under: Cricket, England Cricket, Tests
Can any England cricketer ever have experienced such a contrasting summer as that experienced by fast bowler Stuart Broad?After the drab series against Sri Lanka, there was a growing body of opinion that Broad should be sent back to County cricket to relearn his trade.
Against the summer's first tourists, Broad was simply woeful.
He bowled too short, he bowled with his temper rather than his brain and he put his ego into first gear while he left his technique in neutral.
Bouncer followed bouncer followed bouncer with depressingly few results.
No wonder he only picked up eight Sri Lankan wickets at a terrible average of 48.75.
Yet fast forward two months and Broad is again being feted as an integral member of the England side after being named Man of the Series for the 25 wickets at 13.84 which so helped England to their 4-0 whitewash over India.
And the only question that now remains is whether Broad will finally now look at the fruits of his labour and learn he is a bowler who is at his best working to a fuller length.
Of those 25 wickets, almost 75 per cent came thanks to balls pitched up to the stumps and, thankfully for England, it would indeed appear that the message has struck home.
Broad told the Daily Telegraph: "After Sri Lanka, I had to work our what type of bowler I wanted to be and what was the best way to take Test wickets.
"To go away and play for Notts and get a five-wicket haul pitching the ball up a week before that first Test gave me a lot of confidence.
"It was the first time in my short career that I'd been put under a huge amount of pressure and you do start asking questions of yourself.
"My bouncer is a dangerous weapon, but to use it as a surprise makes the fuller ball more dangerous.
"For the change in approach to succeed straight away at Lord's, where I picked up four wickets, really showed me the way to go for the rest of the series and the 25 wickets I took speak for themselves."
Yes it does. And England fans now have to hope that Broad remembers that lesson for the rest of his career because, if he does, it is unlikely he will have to face questions about his place in the England team for a long time to come.
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