Broad ‘itching’ to attack Pakistan batsmen

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England fast bowler Stuart Broad is eager to begin the home Test season when Pakistan visit Lord’s this week.

The quick says he is itching to face Pakistan after working on his action after the Ashes with the aim of bowling a more attacking length.

Broad wrote in his column for the Mail on Sunday: “I can honestly say I’ve never approached an international summer with as much confidence as I have at the moment — and it’s all down to the work I did on my action between the Ashes and the trip to New Zealand.

“Since the Sydney Test, I’ve picked up 25 wickets in five games for England and Nottinghamshire, and a lot of that is down to the fact that I am now backing myself to bowl a fuller, more attacking length.

“I now know I can beat the right-handers on both sides of the bat, because my wrist is behind the ball and I’m hitting the seam. Because of my height, that makes me a dangerous proposition.

“I’m itching to get out there against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday.”

Broad feels that he focused too much on bowling to left-handers in the last few years and wanted to find a way to bowl to right-handers while retaining his threat against southpaws.

He added: “I think I’d spent so much time over the past few years bowling to left-handers, especially from round the wicket, that I’d got into the habit of only bringing the ball back in to the right-handers, not moving it away from them.

“I don’t want to lose that skill of bowling to the lefties, but equally I needed to rediscover my old threat.”

Paul Franks, our assistant coach at Notts, summed it up quite well. He said I was bowling like a 23-year-old Stuart Broad — but with more experience. I like the sound of that.”

England Pakistan tour to England and Ireland Stuart Broad

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