As a man who knew Chris Broad personally at his pomp, Paul Moon is well-placed to give us his verdict on son Stuart Broad and tell us how far he can go in the game.

I had the privilege of working alongside Chris Broad in the early 90's and as a consequence I find myself intrigued as to what genes may have been imparted to his son Stuart.

Aside from his bravery and his ICC match refereeing, Chris Broad was most famous for his batting performances against Australia. He equalled the record of Jack Hobbs and Wally Hammond by scoring centuries in three successive Tests of an Ashes series. He scored a further 139 in the Sydney bicentenary Test a year later. His batting average in Australia was an impressive 78.25.

I first met Chris when we were both involved with a cricket bat company in Keynsham, Bristol. We worked on a few projects together but my lasting memory was working with him and Mickey Stewart on a bowling machine presentation video.

I fed practice balls into the machine before they sped out in excess of 90mph. The delivery came out of a darkened shute so the real time equated to another 10mph faster than a ball bowled from the arm. You pick up the ball in the air much later!

Being at eye-line with the released ball and its trajectory, I was astonished to see him considering shot selection within that millisecond. However, I vividly recall a 94mph delivery thundering into his pads and him wincing. Suffice to say I could not resist appealing for leg before wicket before he gracefully removed his gloves and walked.

It was only then that I truly appreciated how little time there was to play a really fast bowler. He was renowned for knowing where his off stump was and watching him leave a ball was an art form in itself! At the end of that gruelling session I asked him who was the fastest and most difficult bowler he ever had to face. The answer was easy and immediate - Malcolm Marshall.

His young son Stuart, aged 22, continues to contribute to England's cause and is one of the success stories of the last 18 months. Like his father he bats left-handed (where technical purist Geoffrey Boycott likened his tall elegant batting style to that of Sir Garfield Sobers) and bowls right-handed.

For him to have longevity at Test level he needs to step up one more level and beef up a bit. He has aspirations to be a genuine all-rounder, effectively operating as two players but is this sustainable in the modern game? They have become as rare as hen's teeth but his natural progression will take him part of the way there.

Averaging 29.70 in Test cricket is a great return for a number eight and one senses that this figure will rise significantly. With his natural stroke play surely a Test century beckons. A good place to score it would be against the Australians this summer. Latest Betfair odds to win the Ashes are England [3.7] Australia [1.72] Draw [6.4].

He needs to continue improving his bowling, working hard and staying fit. Currently his Test wickets average 38.67 and his best figures are 5-85 so he is not quite there yet. He would benefit by putting on an extra ten pounds around his backside, thus gaining that extra yard of pace and bounce.

This could be a defining year for him. He has series against the West Indies and the Australians, a Twenty20 World Cup plus his side Nottinghamshire is realistically challenging for the domestic honours including the Twenty20 Cup 2009.

Latest Betfair prices: Kent [7.4] Lancashire [9.6] Durham [9.8] Essex [10.5] Somerset [13.5] Nottinghamshire [13.5] Yorkshire [15] Middlesex [15] Sussex [16.5] Hampshire [18.5] Gloucestershire [20] Warwickshire [21] Surrey [22] Northamptonshire [24] Glamorgan [24] Worcestershire [27] Derby [36] Leicestershire [42]

Will he become a Jacob Oram or a Shaun Pollock? Apart from potential he has a degree of class, control and composure. On breeding my guess is that we will have a proper Test cricketer for years to come.

Comments (1)

1. R.C | 19 May 2009

   I dont believe Stuart Broad will emulate his father , he is what i call an inbetweeny , not a great batsman , not a great bowler.
   With his father chris at least you felt confident when he went in to bat that he would make a decent score, with stuart you cant be sure.
   I feel he is better with the ball than with the bat although i may get proved wrong in time to come.
   I know we always compere sportsmen with their fathers or their predecessors I.E Ian Bothan .Unfortunately i do not think he will be as good as either , unless he can vastly improve his batting and his bowling and what greater test it will be if selected against the Aussies.

   I like the look of the odds for Somerset at 13.5 with betfair in the Twenty20 Get on.

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