Uppercut
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Personally I think when you replace Panesar with Onions, that's your best five bowlers. They might not be good enough, because Australia are still better, but it's the best you can put out there.
I may be Broad's biggest ex-critic, having absolutely tore into him for the vast majority of his test career. But I've got to say, the guy's massively improved beyond all recognition. One bad test (in which no other bowlers took any wickets anyway) doesn't change that.
It's fair enough to say, 'it was only the West Indies he performed against', but that doesn't account for the fact that he outbowled every fast bowler on the tour comprehensively- including players like Flintoff, Harmison, Anderson and Sidebottom. On top of that, it wasn't exactly sub-standard players he dismissed- Chanderpaul and Nash four times each in five tests, Sarwan three times. Those aren't easy players to shift.
And on top of that, actually watching him bowl demonstrates a player infinitely more useful than the man of 2008. His pace is up (and unlike Harmison, it stays up through his second and third spells). He's finally finding some seam movement, swing and reverse swing- just because he didn't do it at Cardiff when nobody else did either doesn't mean he can't. And he often looks like taking wickets.
The one criticism I agree with 100% is that Andrew Strauss overestimates Broad's role in the team, bowling him at the start of every session. He's absolutely one of England's best five bowlers at the minute, but he shouldn't have that kind of pressure put on him- it's neither good for his development as a player nor good for the team.
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