Over the years, the Ashes have seen many battles taking place on the pitch. However, the battle between Australian batter David Warner and English pacer Stuart Broad stands out. The battle between these two veterans has kept everyone hooked on the ongoing Ashes 2023 series.
Stuart Broad vs David Warner:
Across multiple encounters, it seems Broad has held the upper hand in the battle. Broad has dismissed Warner 17 times in Test cricket, which is the most by a bowler against any batter among active cricketers.
Meanwhile, ahead of the fourth Test match of the ongoing Ashes 2023 series at Manchester, Broad in his column at The Daily Mail, has explained what has been the process behind his dominating performance against David Warner. He wrote:
“The truth is I’ve always found it difficult bowling to Davey, and I still do. By going round the wicket I’ve tried to minimise the width he loves outside off stump but also bowl a fuller length and make him play at 80 to 85 per cent of deliveries,”
Broad Reveals The Strategy That He Uses To Dominate Warner
Broad explained that batters, especially David Warner, just kept on the back foot and hit him through the covers before Ashes 2015. He also recalled how the then England’s bowling coach Ottis Gibson urged him to find a way to restrict left-handers from scoring freely. Broad said:
“He used to sit back against me and hit me through the off side, and before the 2015 Ashes, our bowling coach Ottis Gibson pointed out that my average was much higher against left-handers.”
“The Aussie team that season was full of lefties, and Ottis said I’d be out of the team if I didn’t find a way to bowl to them.”
Broad said that he had worked a lot on his skills to bowl well around the wicket. He added: “I spent four months practising round the wicket. I wanted to bring the stumps into play, while still threatening the outside edge. By the time I got to Trent Bridge eight years ago, I bowled round the wicket all the time – and picked up eight for 15.”
England made a stunning comeback in the ongoing Ashes 2023 series, winning the third Test match at Leeds. The Ben Stokes-led side would be looking further to level the series at Manchester. The fourth Test starts on Wednesday (July 19) in Manchester.
