With a new bowling action, Stuart Broad bags hat-trick in a warm-up game

Stuart Broad had a 2018 to forget. The England pacer’s long-term future in Test cricket had come under the scrutiny in recent months due to his indifferent exhibits. He endured a lean Ashes series after having some issues with his wrist position and ended the five-match series with just 16 wickets at an average of 29.68. He also looked far from being at his best in the home series against India. As the year progressed, things got worse for him as England dropped him for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka.

However, the right-arm pacer has started 2019 with a bang. He picked up a hat-trick in his team’s first two-day practice match on the tour of West Indies. What would satisfy Broad more is that he picked up a hat-trick with his re-modelled action. He had recently revealed that he tweaked his action after taking inspiration from New Zealand legend Richard Hadlee and his own team-mate Jimmy Anderson. The re-modelled action also saw Broad using a shorter run-up and the signs have been very promising so far.

“The most important thing for me was the rhythm of my new, shorter run-up feeling good,” he said after the game on Wednesday. “In my second spell I tried to ramp up the intensity, and how I bowled in the afternoon was as good as I’ve felt in a long time.”

Broad took the ninth, 10th and 11th wickets against a Cricket West Indies President’s XI before taking another two balls later after the home side started their second innings.

England warm-up in style:

Fresh off the historic 3-0 Test series win in Sri Lanka, England have started their sojourn in the Caribbeans on a great note.  The two-day game ended in a draw as the hosts closed on 203 in reply to England’s 317 in Barbados.

England will play another two-day tour game on Thursday before the first Test of the three-match series against West Indies gets underway in Barbados on 23 January.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Australia vs India series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.