The ancient Greeks believed that the gods Deimos and Phobos stalked the battlefield. These sons of Ares spread panic amongst the ranks. Fear was infectious. All it took was one afflicted soldier to turn and run before entire armies were routed.
The stakes are much lower during a batting collapse but the same invisible force can descend on those yet to take guard in the middle. Like a herd of spooked wildebeest a dressing room can become gripped by terror as the wickets column ticks over, especially when an apex predator like Stuart Broad is charging towards the crease with wicked intent.
“He’s a phenomenal operator,” says Dane Vilas, the South Africa and Lancashire wicketkeeper who played in a game when Broad had one of those spells. You know the ones I mean. When every ball feels like an event. Where everyone else becomes a side character in the Stuart Broad Show. His languid arms, now morphed into trebuchets, deliver a string of unplayable jaffas. It’s all extra bounce and sharp seam and hooping swing and no-look celebrappeals.
“He has a knack of doing it,” continues Vilas, who watched on as Broad claimed six for 17 at the Wanderers in January 2016, including five scalps in an eight-over burst to leave South Africa’s second innings in tatters. When Temba Bavuma was bowled for a duck, Vilas was the next man in at 35 for five.
“It’s easy to freeze up in those moments,” he says. “You’re watching this unfold and you’re thinking, ‘Wow, this guy’s on fire!’ But you want to take the challenge on. You want to be the guy who saves the day for your country. That’s difficult when you’ve got a bowler producing like that.”
Vilas survived Broad’s spell but fell soon after for eight when he was spectacularly caught by James Taylor at short leg in Steven Finn’s first over. It was a staggering dismissal in isolation but one that made perfect sense to anyone who has seen a batting lineup crumble before.
Taylor’s catch was the sort of grab that seems to stick when a bowler is on a heater. Edges go to hand. Thrashed drives somehow pick out the only fielder in the covers. It’s as if the fates have predetermined the outcome of the day’s events.
How else could you explain some of Broad’s most famous demolition jobs? His best innings return of eight for 15 from 9.3 overs against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015 was arguably the greatest single spell in Ashes history. It also included one of the greatest catches ever seen in the battle for the tiny urn when Ben Stokes, at full stretch to his right, wrapped his hand around a ball that was already past him to dismiss Adam Voges. Broad celebrated with wild, disbelieving eyes, covering his mouth with both hands as he ran about like a man transported to a world without reason. Voges, with one run from three previous deliveries, trudged off shaking his head with Australia limping at 21 for five.
“I’ve seen that replay time and time again” says Voges, who played with Broad at Nottinghamshire where he was regularly reminded of the Stokes catch by cheeky English fans. “What is it about Broady? It’s hard to say. He makes life so difficult for the new batter, maybe more so than most with his bounce and when momentum is behind him. Maybe that’s why he goes on those runs of his.”
Momentum is a word that Chris Rogers uses as well. The former Australian opener was Broad’s first wicket at Trent Bridge, caught at first slip for a three-ball duck. “I couldn’t believe I’d nicked it,” he says. “I was behind the ball but it exploded on me. I spun around and saw I had to go. From there momentum was with Broady and England.
“Momentum is real,” Rogers continues. “You feel it in the dressing room. I remember thinking there was an appeal for a wicket from every ball. We were stunned. The crowd was behind him. We folded. It wasn’t great to be a part of but we felt like we couldn’t do anything about it. They’re not the best memories if I’m honest.”
Jason Holder can’t (or won’t) recall any details from Broad’s first-innings haul of six for 31 at Old Trafford in 2020. Holder was captain of the West Indies then in a Test that also saw Broad claim four for 36 in the second dig and score a breezy 62 with the bat. The dismissal of Carlos Brathwaite took Broad to 500 Test wickets.
“On any given day a bowler can be magnificent,” Holder says, but does give credit to Broad’s longevity. “He’s obviously a good bowler. His record speaks volumes. He must be doing something well to bolster his record.”
At 36 he’s still capable of running through teams. He did so last week when he bowled four of New Zealand’s top six with only 28 runs on the board. It was vintage Broad. All extra bounce and jagging seam. Holder’s right. All elite bowlers can rip an innings apart. Only no one does it like Broad.
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