Michael Atherton Backs Stuart Broad To Reach Milestone Of 600 Test Wickets
Published - 27 Jul 2020, 08:42 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:32 AM
England veteran paceman Stuart Broad will take the field on the fourth day of the third Test against the West Indies in Manchester, being one short of 500 Test scalps. If Stuart Broad reaches the landmark, he will be the seventh bowler to do so and only the fourth amongst seamers. And former English captain Michael Atherton backs him to pick him 100 more Test wickets. At stumps on day three, the tourists were teetering at 10-2 in pursuit of 399.
England made a surprising call of leaving out Stuart Broad for the first Test in Southampton as the hosts lost the game.
Broad responded to his axing by saying he felt frustrated and angry, citing his stellar record over the past few months for England. The 34-year old played the last two Tests and took 14 wickets so far in the series, including a six-wicket haul.
Michael Atherton wrote in a column for Sky Sports that it does not matter how hard a player gets knocked down but how he bounces back from it.
The reputed commentator claimed that only when a player faces the axe, they find a little more about themselves. He believes that unlike any other player, Stuart Broad has the passion in himself to reach 600 scalps and not be satisfied with 500.
“The mark of a champion sportsman is not when you get knocked down, but how you bounce back and we’ve seen that in this series with Stuart Broad. When you get left out, that’s when you find out a little bit more about yourself. Some players, when they get to that stage and get left out, they might just say, ‘Well, I’ve done enough with my career’. But clearly Stuart Broad, with that fire in the belly he showed, has got more to come and he doesn’t just want to get 500 wickets – he wants to get up to 600 as well,” Atherton stated.
Stuart Broad made the point that he’s actually quite a bit younger than James Anderson: Michael Atherton
The Lancashire-born further stated that Broad has correctly translated his words to performances. Atherton pointed out that the way he has bowled over the last two Tests, it feels like he is going to get a scalp every delivery.
“After being left out for the first Test at the Ageas Bowl, he had some things to say about it but my, has he backed up those words with actions. When you look at the way he’s bowled in this match, he just looks like he’s going to get a wicket every ball,” he stated.
The 52-year old also remarked Stuart Broad’s statement of him wanting to emulate James Anderson, who is England’s highest wicket-taker and the highest among best bowlers in Tests. He understands why most people bracket Anderson and Broad together as they have featured together for so long.
“Broad made the point that he’s actually quite a bit younger than James Anderson. Of course, everyone brackets Broad and Anderson together because they’ve played together for so long,” Michael Atherton added further.
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