“I hope to have a couple of caged tigers in this game. Ben Stokes is one and Stuart Broad is another,” England assistant coach Graham Thorpe said.
England have called up “caged tiger” Stuart Broad for the fourth ash test, giving him a chance to work out his frustrations after a supporting role on the series thus far.
Broad admitted in his newspaper column over the weekend that his appearance in just one of the first three games had been a major disappointment and now he has a chance to make an impression at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He replaces Ollie Robinson, who is suffering from a shoulder problem, and will be accused of lifting the spirits of a team that is at a low point: 3-0 down and without four of their coaches due to a Covid-19 outbreak. in the field that finally seems to have come to an end.
Broad is England’s second-biggest wicket catcher against Australia at 120, three behind Bob Willis and eight fewer than Sir Ian Botham, and the 35-year-old hoped to make more of an impression in what is his eighth, and possibly last, crack. against the old enemy.
Assistant coach Graham Thorpe took over the team’s selection alongside captain Joe Root in the absence of isolator Chris Silverwood, suggesting that both Broad and off-roader Ben Stokes were upset at the prospect of returning to the field.
Unlike Broad, Stokes has always been on the series, but has yet to hit his best bat or ball form, having just returned from a five-month hiatus.
“I hope I have a couple of caged tigers in this game. Ben is one and Stuart Broad is another,” Thorpe said.
“I was in contact with Spoons (Silverwood) at all times regarding the team selection and he kept informed. Joe and I, being on the ground, we were able to assess the surface and our bowlers and it felt like it was a risk. get into it with a couple of guys who were carrying criticism. So it was okay to bring Stuart back. “
Robinson is England’s most used bowler and the most used bowler on the tour, with nine hairs in 26 over the course of 87.2 overs. But the workload was starting to take its toll, with a brief hamstring scare in Melbourne and now wear and tear on his shoulder.
Chris Woakes is also battling a shoulder problem, leaving Broad as the obvious solution.
That leaves England with a long tail though, but they have resisted any temptation to favor Dom Bess over teammate Jack Leach, due to his superior hitting.
Meanwhile, the top seven have held on after a calamitous performance in ’68, leaving Rory Burns and Ollie Pope on the outside and Dan Lawrence awaiting a first tour appearance.
In the absence of a full compliment from specialist coaches besides Silverwood, England lacks their bowling leader Jon Lewis, spin mentor Jeetan Patel, and strength and conditioning consultant Darren Veness, Thorpe has prioritized that team relax and be ready to go.
“I had to loosen (the leash) a little bit, enjoy what they’re doing, have fun, get that tension out of the body,” he said.
“It’s normal to just talk to them, make sure they are in the right frame of mind, or encourage them to go to the beach and bathe. I encourage them to keep their faith.
“Sometimes you can get knocked down in life and you have to get back up. There is no place to hide. You have to keep getting up, clear your mind, keep that belief.”
England XI for the fourth ash test: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (week), Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
