How England's Stuart Broad became the Proteas' secret weapon in the WTC final
SECRET WEAPON Stuart Broad's tactical insights helped give the Proteas a crucial edge in their dominant bowling performance against Australia in the WTC final at Lord's. Picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP
There's no disputing it was a top bowling performance from the Proteas on the opening day of the World Test Championship final against Australia, with Kagiso Rabada grabbing the headlines, but it may just have been the input of legendary England fast bowler Stuart Broad which gave South Africa their edge.
Broad was seen chatting to the Proteas bowlers before the start of the match at Lord's on Wednesday, as he was called in as a consultant ahead of the clash.
Due to his commentary commitments with the host broadcaster during the Test, Broad's role ended once the match began.
Broad played an incredible 167 Tests for England in a 16-year career which finally drew to a close in 2023. The quick ended with 604 Test wickets, and the fifth most in the format.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The South African
41 minutes ago
- The South African
Springboks: Two major injury blows
The start of the Springboks' 2025 season is just around the corner, and on Thursday coach Rassie Erasmus held a media briefing to tackle a number of key questions. Once again in the interests of transparency, Erasmus painted a clear picture of the injury landscape ahead of the season-opener against the Barbarians in Cape Town on 28 June. Reporting on the injuries in the camp, Erasmus revealed that Trevor Nyakane, Frans Malherbe, Deon Fourie, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom are all nursing long-term injuries. That news was mostly known already, but it's the serious injury to Hanekom that was confirmed for the first time after he went for scans following last weekend's URC semi-final. It was hoped that Hanekom could have a key role to play for the Springboks in the absence of Louw, but it seems that he will now miss the July internationals, as well as the Rugby Championship. In the absence of Louw and Hanekom, Jasper Wiese will be the obvious option at No 8. And although he should be fit before the start of the Test season, it can't be forgotten that he is also short of game time after only just coming to the end of some injury rehabilitation of his own. Another blow for the Springboks is the fact it was revealed that another candidate at eighthman, Juarno Augustus, has yet to be medically cleared by his club, and he has been unable to report for duty this week. There could now be an opening for Evan Roos, who was recently called up to the squad, while Kwagga Smith and Siya Kolisi can also cover No 8, so there won't be any real cause for panic. Meanwhile, Gerhard Steenekamp, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Ben-Jason Dixon, Lukhanyo Am – as well as Augustus – have to be cleared medically before they will be available for selection. Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams and Makazole Mapimpi, who are also carrying niggling injuries, however, are expected to return to action in the coming weeks. The first week of the training camp will conclude on Friday, with the players reassembling in Johannesburg on Sunday for another week of preparation before departing to Cape Town for the Barbarians match. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
Amla hopes Proteas' appearance in WTC final can reinvigorate love of Test cricket in SA
Cricket By Hashim Amla hopes the Proteas' appearance at the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's against Australia can reinvigorate a love of red-ball cricket in SA. Amla was a key cog in a vintage Proteas generation, starring as part of the class of 2012 who sealed their status as the best Test team in the world at Lord's in a match which saw the batter etch his name on the honours board for a second time. The current crop are looking to follow in those footsteps against Australia on the same ground, and Amla stressed the significance of seeing SA on this stage when it comes to reminding the world of the talent in the country. 'SA have been a powerhouse in cricket for many years in all formats. Not long ago we reached the final in the T20 [World Cup],' he said. 'We have had a rich heritage ever since we came back into international cricket. It is extremely important SA are seen and can perform to a standard to be included among the top Test nations. 'We have the SA20 League, which has created a huge surge of interest among youngsters. The crowds have been packed, and to have a Test team doing well will hopefully create a resurgence of the love of Test cricket. 'It is difficult because youngsters grow up, see sixes and fours and get attracted to the glitz and glamour of T20 cricket. But Test cricket offers other great virtues of discipline, patience and real deep values that it is very healthy to have and aspire to. 'Getting to the final of the competition makes us very proud and very happy. It shows SA are still a force in Test cricket and the world cricketing family.' Amla boasted an excellent record against Australia over his career, scoring five centuries against them, including a best of 196 in a 309-run win at the WACA in 2012. He played 21 times apiece against Australia, India and England and hopes this generation of Proteas stars receive similar opportunities to test their mettle against the best opposition. 'Not long ago, we played Australia every two years, either home or away. That goes for England and India too,' he said. 'We had fixtures which were always of high quality and that helped the players develop their game. 'If you are playing against high quality opposition, you will naturally raise your game and judge yourself against the best, so you are always improving.' One Proteas star who has kicked on in recent years is captain Temba Bavuma, a regular source of runs on their route to the final. Amla has been hugely impressed by the skipper on and off the field and hailed the way he has juggled his responsibilities. 'Temba has been amazing,' he said. 'No-one would have given SA a chance of getting to the final when this started two years ago but he has led the team brilliantly and performed outstandingly as a batsman. 'That is one of the important aspects of being captain, not to forget about your batting, so he has done amazingly well to maintain his batting performance and he has taken it to another level. He is the mainstay and most important batter for SA. 'The way he has led, he is tactically very good and he has the respect of the team. The fact they are in the final means he has been doing all the right things.' The Lord's showpiece followed a special night for Amla earlier in the week as he became one of the seven newest inductees into the ICC Hall of Fame. He was joined by his former captain Graeme Smith, MS Dhoni, Matthew Hayden, Sarah Taylor, Sana Mir and Daniel Vettori in being recognised. 'It is a huge honour, not something you ever think about when you grow up playing cricket in the back yard as a passion,' he said.'To be recognised and included alongside some of those names is a bit mind-boggling. 'From a South African perspective, you have guys like Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock in there, and Graeme [Smith] is someone I played with for 70-odd Test matches and was a great leader for us. 'Then worldwide, guys like Matthew Hayden, who I grew up watching destroy attacks around the world, it is amazing and I am so grateful to be included among those names. 'It was a fantastic evening. There were lots of Beatles fans reminiscing about where songs had been recorded and it feels very surreal.'


Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Day three showdown: Proteas batters eye historic ICC trophy amid intense rivalry
South African supporters outnumber Australians to a large degree at Lord's as those in attendance hope to witness the Test side create history. As the sun began to set over Lord's Cricket Ground (after 9pm) on day two, the general workers hired by the International Cricket Council (ICC) practised setting up the stage and a Champions board where either South Africa's Temba Bavuma or Australia's Pat Cummins will lift the Test mace. The ICC evidently expect the match to end on day three. It's hardly a surprise as 28 wickets fell on the first two days – 14 on each day – and only 12 more need to fall for the match to be completed. If those 12 do tumble, it would mean that South Africa has lost another ICC knockout match. That would be four in the last three years and in every format: the semi-final of the 2023 50-over World Cup, the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup and the semi-final of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Australia were on 144 for eight overnight with a lead of 218 after South Africa were bowled out for 138. Batters have found the pitch at Lord's tough to fathom, and two sets of world-class bowlers have made their job even more difficult. Target The Proteas will look to take the last two Australian wickets as quickly as possible and chase a target of about 230. Their batters — who over the last two-year WTC cycle have proven to be unpredictable — will then need to chase that score down for South Africa to seal their first ICC trophy since holding the mace more than a decade ago. They will have the crowd in their corner throughout. South African supporters will be in full voice as they have been throughout the match, as several players have confirmed that despite the match being played about 13,000km away from South Africa, that it 'feels like a home game'. The UK, along with Australia, is home to the largest South African diaspora. Many supporters, though, also flew over to support their countrymen and have outcheered the smattering of Australian support. More support Every morning pre-match day, the St John's Wood train station — which is a 10-minute walk from Lord's — paints a picture of the crowd in attendance: South Africans in Springbok jerseys, others speaking Afrikaans, a group with thick Jozi accents unsure about directions and others sauntering along in some form of Proteas regalia. Inside the cheers are in unison and rung out from the chest. After Kagiso Rabada claimed the scalps of Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the same over, just before tea on day two, as he had done on day one, he marched back to his position at fine leg to rapturous acclimation from the Mound Stand. He could be forgiven for thinking he was at Centurion at that moment. 'I think it's just an amazing chance and I think we're all very, very excited about the opportunity to win,' Proteas batter David Bedingham said after play on day two. 'It could go either way, but I think we as a team are very, very excited and there's a lot of belief in the dressing room.' At tea on day two, underneath the Compton Stand, to the right of the Pavilion End, a boy that couldn't be older than 10, donning a green Proteas jersey, held a miniature wooden bat then raised it before walloping a tennis ball to an imaginary point boundary. He did it two more times, one bouncing away straight and the other flicked off his legs. No fear of consequences in the swing of the youngster. The ball was delivered by a child of the same age in Australian attire. Bedingham believes South Africa's batters should carry a similar attitude when inevitably chasing on day three. 'I think the main thing is just to 100% commit if you're defending or attacking,' he said. 'As soon as you get caught in two minds against these attacks, you get found wanting… Just 100% commitment in defence or attack.' Day for history The Proteas' top-order batters were tentative on the evening of day one, when they were rattled for 43 runs and losing four wickets in 22 overs before the close of play. Despite this, and despite the team's history of failure in knockout matches at ICC events, the team's confidence in reaching whatever target Australia set is high. 'We're very confident,' Bedingham said. 'The batters will have their plans. It could be an amazing day. 'I think when they started batting in their third innings, I think we would have definitely had them or taken them 220 for eight. We're very confident and I think there's a massive belief in this team.' Aussie skipper Pat Cummins, who claimed six South African scalps in the first innings and only conceded 28 runs in 18.1 overs, believes the match is currently in the balance. 'Going into day three it's pretty close to 50-50, I think that's a pretty good Test match,' he said. 'Whenever there's a pretty good balance between bat and ball, it's always a pretty good match.' Cummins' fast bowling partners in crime, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, aren't too bad either. Starc ripped through South Africa's openers and the relentless Hazlewood only conceded 27 runs in his 15 overs. So how do South Africa win the WTC against that attack? 'I don't think the Australians gave us any bad balls,' Bedingham said. 'The boundaries we hit were off decent balls. But that's why they're the best in the world. 'So hopefully going forward, we can just counteract that and win the World Test Championship.' History beckons for the Proteas on day three at Lord's, and they'll have about three-quarters of the expected 25,000 in attendance celebrating their historic achievement if they pull it off. DM