After guiding England to a 2-1 series win against the West Indies and reaching the milestone of 500 Test wickets, veteran speedster Stuart Broad gave credit to the technical changes of his game for his longevity. The 34-year-old also expressed his wish to play international cricket for as long as possible.
“I feel I’m bowling as well as I ever have. I’ve done some technical work and changed my run-up in the last 18 months. I’m challenging the stumps and trying to make the batsmen play as much as possible. That’s a tactical thing that’s really taken me to a really exciting level,” Broad was quoted as saying on the official website of ICC.
“I felt like my alignment to the stumps was really good in this game. I had a bit of confidence and match practice from the second Test so my tempo and alignment felt like every time I released the ball I could bring off stump into play.
“That’s my go-to: I want to make the batsman play. I don’t like to get left too often. When you come on a pitch with a little bit of wear that’s keeping low, that’s sort of my dream pitch. Most fast bowlers like it flying through, catching the edge and going to slip at chest height but if I can bring the stumps into play, it really suits my style,” he added.
Broad and Chris Woakes starred for England with the red cherry as they defeated West Indies by 269 runs to win the final Test at Old Trafford on Tuesday and pocket the three-match series 2-1.
Chasing a mountainous score of 399, West Indies never showed the intent to reach the target or even bat the entire Day 5. Woakes and Broad rattled through the Windies batting line up and returned with match-winning spells of 5/50 and 4/36 respectively.
Broad, who was dropped from the first match at Rose Bowl, proved instrumental in England’s turn around in the series as they won two back-to-back Tests. Broad was the sensation and was also rightly adjudged the Man of the Series, moments after he had reached the milestone of 500 Test wickets.
“It is easy to get to 34 and start thinking ‘I’ll do what I have done for the last 13 years and be okay’. But I’m looking for the next step that will improve me as a cricketer. That keeps you moving forward as a cricketer.
“If you’d asked me four years ago, ‘at 34 do you think you could play another three or four years?’ I’d have said absolutely not. Now I’m 34 and I feel fit. Post-lockdown my fitness testing was the best it’s ever been. I feel excited.”
“I’m not someone who sets targets. I never said I really want to get to 500 wickets or 600 wickets. But at the moment I feel fresh, I feel fit. I’m bowling how I want to be bowling. If I keep bowling the way I am for the next few years then I wouldn’t rule anything out.”