Former English cricketer Ian Bell has picked three pacers that can be the ideal replacement for Stuart Broad in the Test team. He said that whosoever plays management needs to give them time as they can’t expect them to be as good as Broad.
Ian Bell picks Ollie Robinson, Joshua Tongue and Sam Cook to replace Stuart Broad in England Test team
Stuart Broad surprised many when during the 5th Test of the Ashes 2023, he announced his retirement. The pacer said that he wanted to end on high and it’s fair to say that he got the fairy tail ending as on the last ball of his career he got the wicket.
In his career spanning 167 Test matches, Stuart Broad picked 604 wickets, which is the second highest by any pacer in the longest format of the game. Apart from this, he was no mug with the bat as well as he scored 3662 runs including a hundred and 13 fifties.
With him calling his retirement, it’ll be now a massive headache for the England to find his replacement. It’s fair to say to find someone like Stuart Broad would be a tough task for the team but there are quite a few young pacers in England, who can take up the role.
Ian Bell picked Ollie Robinson and Joshua Tongue as his first two choices, saying that they could handle the pressure of a big series. He explained:
“I think as far as replacing Broad goes, England have options and they are down the road to finding some good operators. Ollie Robinson, of course, comes back into the team. Josh Tongue made his debut this summer and it looked as though he could handle the pressure of a big series.”
Sam Cook, from Essex, could do a job – Ian Bell
Ian Bell also backed young Essex pacer Sam Cook to replace Stuart Broad in the team. He talked about how he hits the top of the off consistently. Adding to his point, he explained:
“Sam Cook, from Essex, could do a job. I was with him with the Lions in Sri Lanka. He has a high skill level, hits the top of off with consistency like nobody else and his control of length is fantastic. What is key is recognising that guys like Tongue or Cook need time to bed in. You can’t expect either of them to be as good as Stuart straightaway.”
