Residents in the Bay of Plenty were urged to stock up on food and sandbags as the region prepares for Cyclone Gabrielle to hit land and bring the heaviest storm of the century to New Zealand.
If forecasters are correct, the preparations for the first Test in Mount Maunganui will be severely restricted and rain is forecast throughout the match.
A shortened match will not necessarily bother England given their approach these days, and floodlit Tests can be quick affairs too, but it could be too dangerous to practice in the outdoor marquee at the ground due to the high winds, limiting the amount of preparation.
At least the team picks itself now with Stuart Broad slotting back into the attack after missing the Pakistan tour due to paternity leave.
“It was great to stay in touch with the guys and how much they were enjoying the trip and the way they played was breath-taking for an England team away from home in the subcontinent to be able to do that. And you can tell that that confidence has come through to here; it’s a big year for English cricket and the way this team is operating, it’s exciting to be a part of and very exciting to watch.”
This has been his longest lay off since school – he has not played since September – and gave him time to be with his baby daughter and work on a technical tweak he hopes will make him more consistent to right-handers with the Kookaburra ball, which does not swing as much as the Duke.
It shows even at 36 and 159 Test matches, an old soldier can still learn new maneuvers; a lesson to younger players to never coast and think they know it all. Also an acknowledgment that Broad relishes playing in this England side.
Broad thought his career was over a year ago when he was left out of the West Indies tour along with James Anderson as England decided the best way to move on from their Ashes humbling was to drop their two most successful bowlers of all time.
Ben Stokes made it a condition for taking the job that they both return and Broad played all home Tests last summer. Despite the 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan on the deadest pitches in the world, he still returns straight back into the side, the seam attack set to be Anderson, Broad, Ollie Robinson and Stokes; Englang going with their most senior and experienced bowlers.
New Zealand is one of Broad’s more successful countries – he only averages better away from home in South Africa and the UAE – and it was in Wellington 15 years ago that he was first partnered with Anderson; Brendon McCullum was his only wicket in the first innings.
Fatherhood, a burgeoning media career – he was an excellent, natural communicator on Sky during the Pakistan Tests – and no shortage of post-career offers suggest he is about to move on in life but not to franchise leagues or the Hundred.
“The idea of bowling 15 balls and getting slogged at my age…doesn’t fill me with any excitement to be honest,” he said.
He insists this is not his last England tour. “No. When I got left out of the Caribbean I changed my mindset to just attacking a week at a time because it can be quite tiring looking too far ahead all the time and we got in the habit of doing that. It is so refreshing just to have a crack at the week in front of you and sign it off. Looking back a year I would not have chosen to miss the Caribbean but it was a good thing that has happened for me. Arguably that decision saved my career. If I had gone there on those pitches I’m not sure I’d be here now so I class myself as pretty lucky.”
Broad has played in all six England day-night Tests and the overseas ones have been hammerings. He averages 26, decent enough, but there was always the grumble from Joe Root in particular that he and Anderson bowled too conservatively with the pink ball.
That has changed under Stokes so past data may well be largely irrelevant, especially if New Zealand bat bolder and the pitch has some life after the rain. Broad has never warmed up for a Test series quite like this; lots of golf and just 10 overs in a glorified middle practice against a New Zealand XI is it apart from nets, which insiders say have been more intense than usual. “It is fine. I feel fine. The facilities in Mount Maunganui – I know it is going to be wet – they have this indoor marquee thing so it will be fine. We will be ready to go.”
Broad unveiled his slightly remodelled action, a bigger gather into his bowling stride to help him cock his wrist better and stay squarer on. “It’s aimed at bowling right handers. I wanted to change my seam position and the way I wanted to do that was just change my shoulder position so it almost looks a bit like Dominic Cork how he used to have that high load, and used to twist his shoulders around. I’ve got quite an open front side, so the aim of it is to load high, to twist my shoulders earlier, to be able to hold my front side and get the ball to bounce away more to the right hander. It’s still developing.”
Never stop learning, even in this more relaxed time to be an England player.
Article courtesy of
Source link
