Seamer Marco Jansen and the Proteas are working with former England fast bowler Stuart Broad ahead of this month’s World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.
Broad is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket – and second among seamers.
He took 604 wickets in 167 Tests from 2007 to 2023. More than a quarter – 153 – of the 604 were against Australia. Broad collected 113 wickets in 28 Tests at Lord’s.
“Maybe I will pick his brain on what they did back then or what they did when he was playing to get certain batters out. And then, because I mean, you can ask all those questions and you can try and do it, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to work necessarily,” said Jansen.
“You might get a guy out with a ball that you never even planned bowling. So it’s good to have the information. But like I said, once you’re on the pitch on that day, you have to figure it out for yourself and then whatever plan you have or plan you think could work, just try and do that and you hope it pays off and you hope you execute well.”
The WTC final will start on 11 June. Australia are the reigning WTC champions. New Zealand won the inaugural WTC title in 2021.
“I reached out to Stuart via Ashwell Prince, because they obviously know each other. And I just said to him, ‘Is there any way we can just get together, spend some time – primarily with the coaches – and then share whatever you’ve got?’ He’s coming for dinner with the coaches, and then he’s probably spending an hour or so at our nets,” said Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad.
“It would be foolish of me not to tap into whatever IP there is, and he’s current. He was successful against Australia, and knows how to bowl at Lord’s, and the nuances that come with bowling from the respective ends.”
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