Veteran England pacer Stuart Broad was destined to be a fast bowler. The tall lad from Nottingham can swing the ball both ways and his aggression and competitiveness make him a perfect pacer. He is the tallest lad in the English cricket setup at the moment. Currently playing his last Test match, Broad still has the ability to create fear in the opposition batters.
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Tall height is associated with fast bowling and Broad is a perfect example of the same. He takes full use of it while bowling in Test cricket. It is evident that the elevated pacers have troubled the batters in the past. There is always a sense of discomfort in a batter’s approach against those bowlers with big heights.
Stuart Broad Height
Broad is 1.98 metre tall which converts to around 6’5”. He is taller than all fellow bowling teammates such as Ollie Robinson (1.95 m), Josh Tongue (1.93 m), James Anderson (1.88 m), Chris Woakes (1.85 m), Mark Wood (1.83 m).
Surprisingly, the next tallest player in the English setup after Broad is batter Zak Crawley. Not just in English cricket, but Broad is among the tallest cricketers in the world right now. Only New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson (2.03 m) and West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder (2.03) are said to be exceeding Broad as far as height of active cricketers is concerned.
Broad can credit his genes for his height. Although a batter, his father, Chris Broad, was also 1.93 metre tall. There are advantages and disadvantages for tall pacers in cricket. Let’s have a look at some of the positive factors of being a towering fast bowler in this sport.
How 6’5” Tall Stuart Broad Is Advantageous As Compared To Other English Fast Bowlers
Tall pacers are able to extract a good amount of bounce from the wicket. Because of a higher release point, they can make full use of the same. It is for the same reason we have observed that the majority of the fast bowlers are taller in height. When a batter faces a pacer with extraordinary height, there is always a doubt about how much the ball will rise.
When the ball is pitched into the surface with a steeper angle, it can extract a good seam movement as well. The yorkers from taller pacers are comparatively more lethal than the shorter ones. They are more physically intimidating as well. With all being said, there is no thumb rule that comparatively shorter pacers cannot rule in cricket. However, the taller ones have their own merits.
