"Something about playing against Australia that brings out the best in him" - Nasser Hussain in awe of Stuart Broad
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain believes Stuart Broad is tailormade for Ashes cricket like his father, Chris Broad. Hussain's statement comes after the right-arm seamer reached the milestone of 600 wickets on Day 1 of the 4th Ashes Test in Manchester on Wednesday, July 19.
Broad became only the fifth bowler in Test cricket to take 600 wickets, joining Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, and James Anderson. The 37-year-old reached the landmark by dismissing Travis Head on Day 1 at Old Trafford.
In his column for The Daily Mail, Hussain underlined that Broad always wishes to be in the thick of things and that playing against Australia brings out his best performances.
"It was fitting that Stuart Broad got to 600 career Test wickets against Australia because like his dad Chris, he was born for Ashes cricket. There is something about playing against Australia that brings out the best in him. These are the games in which you see how much heart he has. He always wants to be in a battle."
The 96-Test veteran also labelled the Nottinghamshire seamer as one of the best problem-solvers, elaborating:
"You talk about Australia’s Smith being a problem solver with the bat, I see the same with Broad with the ball. He sees everything as a challenge too. They’re both cricket geeks. For me, Broad is in a rare fast bowling category as someone that ticks every box."
Broad started the proceedings on Day 1, dismissing Usman Khawaja cheaply in the fifth over of the innings. He then dismissed Head, who fell while trying to hook a short-pitched delivery, in the 50th over. The veteran took his series tally to 18.
"Fast bowling is hard work" - Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain further claimed that fast bowling is incredibly hard work due to the need to stay consistently fit.
"Fast bowling is hard work. It’s not just the 600 victims. You forget all the fitness and technical work Broad has done behind the scenes - keeping his body robust, working on his wrist position, re-training to swing the ball again. And it is all this stuff great players do behind the scenes that makes them so good."
However, he feels Broad's urge to get better was noticeable on Day 1 at Old Trafford.
"The constant desire to improve, to identify areas which are lacking and the raising of the bar that allows the very best to reach the heights Broad did on Wednesday."
Australia finished Day 1 at 299-8 with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins at the crease. Chris Woakes was the pick of the English bowlers with four wickets.