Former fast bowler Steve Harmison credited legends Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson for their recent performances to help prop up an England seam attack blighted by injury. The legendary duo were shockingly dropped from the side for the test tour to West Indies in March, but bounced back in a big way against New Zealand and India this summer. The 43-year-old hailed the veterans' performances, especially in the absence of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Olly Stone.
“I would love to play in the current system. England could be a seriously talented side for a long time to come if you add one of the injured fast bowlers, Archer, Wood and Stone,” the commentator told Online Cricket Betting. “That's nothing against Broad and Anderson, who haven't peaked this summer after England trying their hardest to get rid of them for two or three years. If they hadn't been here this summer then England would be in a really dire situation from a bowling point of view. England needed their two greatest to stand up because everybody else was on the treatment table.”
England are currently competing in a home Test series against South Africa and are keen to carry on the momentum built with their latest victories in the red-ball format. The players have had to juggle their schedules due to a packed fixture list, with Ben Stokes opting to retire from ODIs to prioritise captaining the test side and lessen his load. Jonny Bairstow also chose to don the whites over the glitz and glamour of The Hundred, a topic which Harmison discussed.
