Stuart Broad nighthawk in cricket: Ben Stokes can’t believe Tom Blundell and Scott Kuggeleijn not attempting an easy catch at Bay Oval

Dixit Bhargav | 17/02/2023
Stuart Broad nighthawk in cricket: Ben Stokes can't believe Tom Blundell and Scott Kuggeleijn not attempting an easy catch at Bay Oval

As much as he is threatening with the ball in hand, veteran England pacer Stuart Broad is equally and amusingly entertaining with a cricket bat in hand. Broad, who doesn’t refrain from taking up a challenge as a lower-order batter, was promoted as a nightwatchman on the second day of the first Test match against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui today.

Doubtlessly affected by Bazball, Broad didn’t care about saving his wicket to attain a sole purpose for which he was sent out to bat with some two and a half overs remaining in the day’s play. As a result, it was only on the second ball that he faced that the left-handed batter attempted to step down the track to hit a Scott Kuggeleijn delivery on the leg-side.

Lacking in execution big time, all Broad did was top-edge the ball as it landed on the adjacent pitch to question the batter’s approach. Ideally, the ball shouldn’t have landed on the ground because it was a simple catching opportunity. On most other days, anyone out of Kuggeleijn or New Zealand wicket-keeper Tom Blundell would’ve easily grabbed the catch but it wasn’t to be today.

Ben Stokes can’t believe Tom Blundell and Scott Kuggeleijn not attempting an easy catch

A massive confusion between Kuggeleijn and Blundell with respect to calling for a straightforward catch resulted in both of them looking at each other haplessly as the ball fell in between them.

While New Zealand’s players couldn’t believe what had transpired in the middle at the Bay Oval, scenes in the English dressing room also witnessed disbelief of the highest level albeit in a hilarious manner. England captain Ben Stokes, in particular, was seen in utter bewilderment of the situation.

Why is Stuart Broad called Nighthawk? What is Nighthawk meaning in cricket?

Broad, who smashed New Zealand captain Tim Southee for a boundary over cover in the following over, managed to return to the pavilion unbeaten on 6* alongside Ollie Pope (14*) with his team leading by 98 runs at Stumps, Day 2.

Batting for the first at No. 4, it is the highest that Broad has batted in this format. In the past, the highest that Broad had batted was at No. 7 (four times). A primary reason why the 36-year old player was being compared to a nighthawk (a person who remains active at night) was because of his role of a nightwatchman in a day-night match.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Ben Stokes England England tour of New Zealand 2023 New Zealand Scott Kuggeleijn Stuart Broad Tom Blundell

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

Don’t miss these