Stuart Broad's shoulders can carry the attack

10 April 2012

England have some key decisions to make as they prepare for a Test series many people now really believe they can win and I hope the first of them is that they will attack South Africa before a ball is bowled.

That is particularly in relation to the balance of the team they select but also because South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis is unlikely to be able to bowl due to the fractured rib which ruled him out of the one-day series. Kallis still appears set to play but only as a batsman.

The impact of his absence in the one-day series was immense both psychologically and on the field of play, so it is vital that England seize this opportunity to grab the initiative from the start.

For me, that means playing five bowlers, rather than four, and either playing a seventh front-line batsman or using Luke Wright in that position to trundle down a few overs.

The very powerful South African batting line-up must be kept under pressure throughout and, besides, the real issue is not so much about the bowling attack but whether England are brave enough to promote Stuart Broad to bat at No7.

I believe Broad is more than capable of handling that position and, in fact, it might very well be the making of him. It might be only one spot higher in the batting order but with that small step comes greater responsibility and opportunity.

Rather than merely trying to hang on in there with the tailenders and probably farming the strike, Broad would be batting alongside top-order players and would be treated as a batsman himself. He has a good technique, a lovely cover-drive and is not afraid to play adventurous strokes.

The alternative is either to play Wright, with Broad at No8 and leaving out a pace bowler, or extending the depth of the batting with Ian Bell and moving Matt Prior to No7.

Now Wright is a really good bloke and a very hard worker but I don't see him having a prolonged run as a Test cricketer. That option would weaken the bowling as well as denying Broad the opportunity to develop into England's key all-rounder; a position he could command for the next decade. Besides, England are going to need all the bowling options they can muster.

Along with that critical lower-order debate comes the decision about who will bat at No3. This is the pivotal position in the batting line-up and the place that Bell and Ravi Bopara have been unable to tie down in the past 12 months.

Whatever the arguments about Jonathan Trott's presence in the line-up (and I believe there is an important debate to be had about protecting the team's identity), he has 'No3' written all over him and he is in excellent form at the moment.

He does have a technical flaw which he must iron out in that he is very much a leg-side player and this makes him vulnerable to deliveries of a fuller length just outside his off stump. But Trott certainly has the drive and work ethic to be able to correct this weakness.

There should be no shortage of runs scored in this four-match series, although there is some concern here over the quality of the pitches which have taken a hammering through the unexpected staging of the IPL and the Champions Trophy.

In Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, South Africa have the new-ball big guns capable of working up a head of steam on a slow pitch, while England's selectors took the gamble in relying almost exclusively on swing bowlers.

James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Graham Onions all need the ball to do something and I hope the management do not try to persuade Broad to bowl aggressively and too short.

England do have Graeme Swann, the better spinner of the two teams, and he will have a big role to play now that the dreaded umpire's decision review system will be in place after all.

As a commentator, I am as frustrated as anybody by poor umpiring decisions. There is nothing worse than seeing from the first replay that a batsman should not have been given out.

However, I have very serious reservations about this system the ICC are determined to inflict upon the game. Not merely because to have a batsman challenging an umpire's decision goes against everything cricket stands for, or because the predictive (guessing) element of Hawkeye will mean that there will be many more leg-before dismissals than before - especially for spin bowlers.

I dislike it because it kills the excitement and the drama of a wicket falling; the moment we, as commentators, come into our own. Now it will sound disjointed and anti-climactic as we wait to see if the umpire's verdict is to be challenged either by the batsman or the fielding captain.

I will give the system a chance because, frankly, it will sound tedious on the radio if I don't. I also stand to be corrected over the next two months from my firm belief that cricket's ruling body are forcing the game down a very dangerous route.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in