The England fast-bowler has added a new weapon in his armoury to try and tame the two Aussie run-machines at the Ashes.
Stuart Broad has developed a ‘new outswinger’ and he says it’s reserved for Australia’s mighty run machines Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at the forthcoming Ashes during the English summer.
The leading England quick has always had a strong inswinger and an incisive straighter-one but is focused on bolstering an away-going one in his armoury before the marquee clash for the urn in June-July.
Broad has troubled heaps of left-handers with an outswinger from around-the-wicket angle, particularly in the last four-five seasons at home. But he was recently seen uprooting Aussie opener Cameron Bancroft in a County Championship game with an outswinger that evaded his defensive prod and crashed onto the stumps.
This ball could feature in abundance as an integral part of the right-arm medium pacer’s Ashes plans when he ultimately bowls to the duo of Smith and Labuschagne at the other end to try and tame their proficiency, with the two players being key to Australia’s competitiveness and fortunes in English conditions.
Speaking at the sidelines of county duties with Nottinghamshire, Stuart Broad said developing an outswinger has been a key focus area for him through the break in a winter season where the Test specialist missed the trip to Pakistan due to an injury.
The 36-year-old may have taken 900 first-class wickets and is perhaps fast approaching the twilight of his career, but he is not willing to settle down yet and is giving himself as much of an edge with the ball ahead of the ultimate bout for that prestigious urn.
“It’s designed, to be honest, for Marnus [Labuschagne] and [Steve] Smith. It’s the reason I wanted to change something, to try and bring their outside edge in more,” Broad was quoted as saying by Cricket.com about his ‘new outswinger’.
An important tweak to enable the outswinger has been made in the action, Broad revealed, stating clearly that the intention is to get Smith and Labuschagne coming across to the off-stump and threatening their outside edge.
“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 important,” he said.
“So this action tweak is pretty much designed at those two, and it was good to see it really swinging away today.”
Broad also confirmed he will be playing two more matches for the Notts before joining the England camp ahead of the standalone Test versus Ireland at Lord’s from June 1. The Ashes starts two weeks later on June 16 in Birmingham, also beginning the two countries’ campaign for the new cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) spanning 2023-25.
