Stuart Broad is used to studying cricketers obsessively for any nuggets that he could take into his own performance. Now he does the same, but with commentators instead.
Stuart Broad is used to studying cricketers obsessively for any nuggets that he could take into his own performance. Now he does the same, but with commentators instead.
“I take it seriously – I want to grow,” Broad tells Telegraph Sport. “I want to become a really good broadcaster.”
Many believe that he already is. Yet the early praise for Broad’s work with Sky has not sated his desire to improve.
“Nasser [Hussain] and [Mike] Atherton are brilliant to learn from. Ian Ward’s a fantastic presenter, and the way he thinks of questions on the spot is something that I need to improve at,” Broad explains.
“The level of analysis that Ricky Ponting gives, the detail that he’s going into. The tone of voice with Ravi Shastri – how he can go up and down and pick moments to really go. I’m always looking and learning.
“I’m definitely all in on the broadcasting at this moment in time, because I’m certainly not at a level that I’m comfortable with. I want to get better and better and be in those moments where I’m calling great cricket.”
‘How do I improve if I don’t get feedback?’
As a player, Broad welcomed feedback, using how rarely batsmen were able to leave him as a gauge of whether he was bowling well. In the commentary box, Broad also welcomes self-analysis.
“I think that comes from being in professional sport – I want feedback, because how do I improve if I don’t get it?,” the 39-year-old says. “I do feel very fortunate that I’ve left a changing room in England cricket, and I’ve walked into another changing room that is helping me grow.”
Broad has worked extensively with Paul Allott, the former England bowler and Sky commentator, on his craft. Allott’s initial advice to Broad was that he should always seek to add value to what viewers can see: “Don’t just read the bowling figures.”
Charlie Dagnall, Broad’s former Leicestershire team-mate who is now a broadcaster for Sky Sports and the BBC, implored Broad to watch footage of himself.
“It’s quite cringe to do that, you’re like, ‘oh God’. But you actually need to do that, because then, you’re like ‘I should have lifted my voice more there’,” Broad concedes.
“I was on colour for Gus Atkinson’s first Test wicket, and I didn’t go up enough – a big moment in his career. When I watched it back, I thought, oh yeah, I need to be more excited there.”
Second ball in Test match cricket! 🔥
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 10, 2024
Yes Gus! 💪#EnglandCricket | #ENGvWIpic.twitter.com/LkJAqZTCYl
Commentary, then, is like playing: only very occasionally will a day bring a perfect performance. To Broad, that is part of the thrill.
“I’m always learning, and I did that in my cricket. My whole mindset has always been continuous improvement, continuous improvement. I don’t see that as I’m an ex-player pundit. I think there’s a bit of a difference, actually. I’m not someone who doesn’t do any research,” Broad adds.
“I research what I want, talking points. I want to become a lead commentator as well as an analyst, which are two very different skills as well. So I see myself as a young, new growing broadcaster, rather than an old pro just ranting around.”
Broad’s commentary led directly into his other post-playing career: as a coach. While Broad was working in South Africa last winter, Ashwell Prince, the Proteas batting coach, asked him whether he would like to be a consultant for the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June.
He agreed. On the Sunday evening before the final, Broad had dinner with South Africa’s coaches in London. Rather incongruously wearing South African kit, he worked with the players on Monday and Tuesday, before the Test began on the Wednesday.
“I didn’t want to come in with loads, and that’s why I wanted to tell the coaches everything, and then they can feed back to the players a bit,” Broad recalls. “I was really conscious that I didn’t want to come in with loads of information before one of the biggest games of their careers.
“I just chatted to the bowlers about different things. You can try getting wider on the crease from the Nursery End a little bit, so you can draw the batters into playing. And we talked about the lengths you try and hit at Lord’s; how the conditions can change in the blink of an eye. Sometimes it might do nothing; get a bit of cloud and you can pick up three wickets in that hour.”
While commentating, Broad remained in touch with South Africa’s players, and was “thrilled” when they toppled Australia to lift their first World Test Championship crown.
‘I haven’t set any coaching targets or dates’
Broad hopes that this will just be the start of his coaching career. For all his dedication to his new role as a commentator, his schedule should allow him more scope to act as a coaching consultant.
“I haven’t set any sort of targets or dates of coaching or what’s to come, but probably next year I’d start looking at dipping my toe into it a little bit more.”
Broad has already talked to Rob Key, England’s managing director, about potential opportunities to work with the national set-up, or the teams lower down in the pathway.
“It’s certainly something I want to stay connected to, the coaching,” Broad says. “I’ve chatted to Rob Key a little bit about doing some stuff with the younger bowlers in the England setups when the schedule suits.”
While Broad relished the chance to work in Test cricket with South Africa, he believes that he could accelerate the development of younger bowlers in the England set-up.
“The U19s or even U17s – you really know what you’re developing, and you’ve got your base of technique, but the growth you can make between 15 and 20 is huge.”
‘I’ve got a lot of knowledge I can share’
For all his theatrics on the field – the ‘celebappeals’, the Aussie-baiting, the late-career penchant for changing the bails to try and change his luck – Broad always leaned on his brain on the field. As a thinking cricketer, he believes he is well-equipped to add value as a coach.
“I wasn’t one of those players who the game came easy to. I had to work at it. I had to figure out exactly what my strengths were and where I could improve all the time. So I feel I’ve got a lot of knowledge that I can share.
“As a player, I think I had one of the best filters going, which meant I could get loads of information, and I would filter that down to what was relevant to me. That’s such a crucial skill, from 15 to 20, because you will get loads of different information, and not all of it’s correct, probably only five per cent of it’s relevant to you. But if you can use that five per cent to your advantage, you grow so quickly.”
While Broad has yet to get any coaching badges – though he is open to enrolling on courses – Key has enlisted more recently retired players to share their knowledge. Andrew Flintoff and Graeme Swann are among the ex-players who have been involved in the pathway programme before completing their off-field qualifications.
“I’m completely on Rob Key’s side,” Broad says. “You want your best cricket brains still sharing information to the best players, and you don’t want them to be put off by having to jump through loads and loads of hoops that might be a bit unnecessary with the knowledge they’ve got.
“What excites me the most is, where’s the next Jofra Archer? Where’s the next Jimmy Anderson? I watched on Instagram, Harry Moore, who’s been out with a stress fracture. I look at him and go, ‘huge talent, 6ft 6in, swings it both ways, hits good areas’ Where could he be in four years’ time? Maybe even less than that? Where can you spot these players whose ceiling is very high?”
Whether commentating or coaching, Broad is determined to find out.
Stuart Broad’s UK tour 2025 begins 30 September. For tickets visit Fane.co.uk/stuart-broad
Category: General Sports
