#360view: Broad leading England to No1 in the world

Ajit Vijaykumar 14:10 17/01/2016
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Stuart Broad produced another fine spell of fast bowling against South Africa.

    South Africa were the No1 Test team on paper at the start of the series against England. But in reality, they are not even in the top three.

    Their batting line-up is in tatters, the leadership in disarray and the bowling attack lacking bite. So fragile are the Proteas at the moment, all it took was one spell from Stuart Broad in the Johannesburg Test and the series was lost.

    South Africa’s fall has been staggering. The way they were pummelled by India 3-0 in the subcontinent gave enough hints of what was in store at home against England. AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla – the backbone of their batting – have lost their spark and are not leaders on the field anymore.

    Pace spearhead Dale Steyn’s best days seem to be behind him with fitness concerns taking their toll. They are not in a good mental space and a chastening series defeat against a red-hot England side was always on the cards.

    But even so, England had to score enough runs on the board and take 20 wickets. And they have done that with flair.

    They scored more than 300 in both innings of the first Test without a single century and had three different bowlers pick up four wickets each (Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali and Steven Finn). If the win in the first Test was an excellent all-round effort from all the batsmen and bowlers, their triumph in the third Test was down to two breath-taking individual efforts.

    Joe Root is on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats of English batting. He now has nine Test tons from 38 matches and his latest one was arguably the best of the lot.

    Against a spirited, if inexperienced, South African attack on a testing pitch, Root counter-attacked superbly to pull his team out of trouble and even earn a lead.

    With the series evenly poised, it needed someone to grab the moment. And in Broad, England have an enforcer who knows exactly when to go full throttle.

    It’s the second time in six months Broad has sealed a major Test series in one spell. No one can forget that burst in the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, with the hosts leading 2-1, where Broad snared eight Aussies in one swoop and helped regain the Ashes.

    And yesterday, he did an encore at the South African fortress also called Bullring. Even though he is closing in on 10 years on the Test circuit, Broad has not lost an ounce of bite, pace or seam movement in his bowling. So incisive was Broad yesterday, even a 400-plus wicket taker like James Anderson got lost in his shadow.

    The 29-year-old Broad is leading England’s charge towards the No1 Test spot and there is only one team that can confidently and realistically challenge them home or away – Australia. India are improving but their away record is nowhere near as good.

    England have a great mix of young and talented players led by Alastair Cook, a captain who has regained his touch and, dare I say, respect of the squad.

    While their batting is in fine form, it’s the bowling and all-round talent that sets them apart. Players like Ben Stokes, Ali and Jonny Bairstow have a lot to offer in more than one aspect of the game and England’s all-rounders are the envy of the world. With Broad, a decent bat himself, leading the pace attack, Cook’s boys have some successful times ahead of them. And the best part is, the average age of their current squad is 27.

    Recommended