Stuart Broad Praises Josh Hull, Predicts Evolution in His Run-Up

New Delhi: Young left-arm fast-bowler Josh Hull turned heads with his impressive performance on day two of England’s third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval, catching the attention of former pacer Stuart Broad. Broad believes that Hull's run-up will continue to develop and improve as he gains experience in the longer format of the game.

In his five-over opening burst, 6ft 7in Hull clocked high speeds during his spell of 1-26, which included the wicket of Pathum Nissanka. Hull’s attributes are widely seen as a point of difference by England in their preparation for winning the Ashes in Australia.

“I have been really impressed. He has been picked on attributes. His height, his bounce, getting the ball to swing back into the right-handed batter. An average of 83mph is fine in Test match cricket but he will get quicker the older he gets. I think his run-up will evolve over time. I don’t think it will stay as long as it is at the moment.

“His knees go forward rather than up so he doesn’t have the dynamic approach that you might want, so maybe that’s why his run-up is so long. The big thing for me is that his feet and hips are facing the target – he is aligned really nicely to make the batters play.

“His front arm also moves nicely and he has a braced front leg so gets a good flow through his action. That’s where the best fast bowlers generally get their pace from. Ultimately his biggest strength is that he is left-arm. All teams are desperate to have that in their armoury,” said Broad to .

In his spell, Hull’s release points were recorded at 2.05, which are quite low for a bowler of his tall height. Asked if he can make use of his height more, Broad replied, “He could. He reminds me slightly of Mitchell Johnson with that slingy action so he could get that bowling arm closer to the ear and deliver from higher.

“But you have to be able to do that and not lose the swing as that is a great threat of his. The slingy action might not be a negative. It might not allow you to get the bounce you would like but you can get the ball to skid on.”

Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, pointed out that Hull loses his height in his run-up. “I definitely like what I saw (but) I think there will be some refinement to his action over the years. His bowling action is so long that he loses a bit of his height. In this game, it is quite often bounce that gets better players out, not always express pace.”