He dismissed David Warner on 17 occasions in Test cricket.
Former England Cricketer Stuart Broad recently recounted what helped him turn one of the weakest aspects of his game into his strongest suit. Broad, who retired from Test cricket in 2023, had quite a successful second half of the career.
Broad was known for his ability to run through the opponents when on song. In the second half of his career, he made a habit of removing left-hand batters. His record against David Warner, in particular, is often highlighted, having dismissed the Aussie batter 17 times in Test cricket. However, he wasn’t always dominant against left-hand batters. A tactical shift in 2015 was the turning point for him.
Speaking on the latest episode of the ‘For The Love of Cricket’ podcast, Broad recounted what made him a huge threat against left-hand batters. He recalled that the then England bowling coach Ottis Gibson came up to him ahead of the 2015 Ashes and advised another approach. Broad was predominantly bowling over the wicket to left-handers until this point.
“Gibo came to me in March and said, “Look mate, Aussies are coming, lefties, you’re averaging 37 against left-handers in Test match cricket. If you keep doing that for the series, you might not play. Do you want to make a change?,” said Broad.
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Broad considered bowling from around the wicket as someone who is a tall bowler could create a tight angle. The right-arm pacer reaped great rewards for this approach. Since July 2015, Broad averaged just 24.6 against left-handers, compared to 37 before this change.
“I think certainly for a couple of years I was averaging like 13 or 14 against left-handers from around the wicket. And that was career-changing for me, because suddenly I could bring in the LBW and bowled. I was still making batters play.
Broad had a spectacular time against Warner in the Ashes 2019. He dismissed him seven times in the series while conceding just 35 runs. Overall, he took 16 wickets against left-hand batters in that Ashes at an average of 13.7.
“And by the time 2019 came and David Warner, and I’d worked out the data and the stats on how I was going to look to bowl at him — that was ingrained in what I was doing. I could deliver the ball exactly where I wanted it to at that point,” he added.
The Ashes 2023 was the last appearance for Broad in the England jersey. He ended up as the fifth highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history with 604 wickets from 167 appearances.
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