"He reminds me slightly of Mitchell Johnson" - Stuart Broad on Josh Hull after Day 2 of ENG vs SL 2024 3rd Test

Retired England seamer Stuart Broad has revealed that Josh Hull reminds him of Mitchell Johnson due to his slingy arm action. The 38-year-old observed that such an action enables Hull to swing the ball.

Hull made his first international appearance in the ongoing third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval. Pathum Nissanka became the youngster's first Test victim as the right-hander drove one to the cover fielder.

When asked on Sky Sports whether the 20-year-old could use his height more, Broad agreed and elaborated:

"He could. He reminds me slightly of Mitchell Johnson with that slingy action so he could get that bowling arm closer to the ear and deliver from higher. But you have to be able to do that and not lose the swing as that is a great threat of his. The slingy action might not be a negative. It might not allow you to get the bounce you would like but you can get the ball to skid on."

The Leicestershire seamer dropped a simple catch off Shoaib Bashir's bowling. The incident occurred in the 33rd over as Dhananjaya de Silva hit one straight to mid-on, but Hull shelled it.

"An average of 83mph is fine in Test match cricket" - Stuart Broad

Broad also predicted that Hull's pace will increase as time goes on and his run-up will get shorter.

"I have been really impressed. He has been picked on attributes. His height, his bounce, getting the ball to swing back into the right-handed batter. An average of 83mph is fine in Test match cricket but he will get quicker the older he gets. I think his run-up will evolve over time. I don't think it will stay as long as it is at the moment. The big thing for me is that his feet and hips are facing the target - he is aligned really nicely to make the batters play," the former England pacer said during the same discussion.

Sri Lanka's score stood at 211/5 at the end of Day 2 after bowling England out for 325.