The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Stuart Broad, an exciting talent

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Sunday, Sep 02, 2007
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Stuart Broad, an exciting talent

Special Correspondent

Manchester: One-day cricket is a lot about depth. And multi-dimensional cricketers do provide a side with options.

Stuart Broad is not an all-rounder yet, but the possibilities in him are immense. Andrew Flintoff, arguably the world’s leading all-rounder, said, “He (Broad) is very talented. He also has a great attitude.”

Flintoff realises that the 21-year-old Broad, an energetic fast medium bowler and a straight-batting lower order batsman with a sound temperament, could be a genuine prospect. The present England side is looking an efficient unit, more like the New Zealand side in its pomp. The team, apart from match-winners in Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, has several industrious cricketers who can bat, bowl and field. It appears balanced and versatile, and, importantly, is not dishing out predictable cricket.

In sharp contrast, India is without an all-rounder here.

Ravi Bopara comes in at No. 8 and Broad at No. 9 for the host. This also means the side is always in with a chance of staging a recovery act. In the game at Bristol, Dimitri Mascarenhas nearly snatched the game away from India with some powerful hitting. At the Old Trafford, Bopara and Broad’s broad blade won it for England.

Paul Collingwood, a pleased skipper, said, “Two young cricketers showed their character in the middle.”

Handy bowlers

While Collingwood, Mascarenhas and Bopara can be handy bowlers in ODI cricket, denying the batsmen pace and room, Broad, combining splendidly with James Anderson with the new ball in this series, is a serious all-round talent for England. The left-hander started as an opening batsman, like his father Chris, a former England opening batsman. Then, he developed his pace bowling.

One look at Broad and you realise he is an athlete. He can bowl in the mid80s mph, take the ball away or bring it in. He deceived Yuvraj Singh with a slower full-length delivery in the fourth ODI.

Broad, a team man, said, “It was nice to take four wickets here, more importantly England won. Flintoff and Anderson were terrific in the second Power Play. Ravi (Bopara) guided me while batting.”

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