Former England pacer Stuart Broad believes that Gus Atkinson does not yet have the body language required to be a successful Test match bowler. Atkinson has already been ruled out of the final Test of the ongoing Ashes series, scheduled to take place in Sydney due to a hamstring injury.
In three matches, Atkinson picked up only six wickets and scored 73 runs with the bat across five innings. After going wicketless in the Perth Test, he claimed three wickets each in the Brisbane and Melbourne Tests. However, while speaking to Sky Sports, Broad was critical of the England pacer’s on-field presence.
“Atkinson has amazing attributes. He still averages under 25 with the ball, he wobbles the seam, he can swing it, he’s tall, he’s consistent, but his body language is not of a Test-match bowler in the battle. He has work to do on that. That doesn’t matter so much when you’re playing teams you should dominate and beat, but not against top teams, so his areas of improvement aren’t attributes or mental ability to cope with pressure, but letting your team know you are leading this group,” Broad said.
Broad further explained why body language plays a crucial role at the highest level of Test cricket and used an example from outside the sport to underline his point.
“I read a piece about Tiger Woods, who would never look at the floor when golfing. His eyes would always be above the horizon, which is really strong for body language. When I was under pressure or struggling, I would keep my eyes above the horizon because then someone couldn’t tell if I’d bowled a good or bad ball. You’re constantly in the battle and your opposition cannot feel like they are getting on top of you,” Broad added.
So far, Atkinson has played 16 Tests, picking up 69 wickets, at an average of 24.21.
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