By India Today Sports Desk: Ian Bell has tipped Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue and Sam Cook to be able bowlers to replace Stuart Broad, who announced his retirement from cricket after the final Ashes 2023 Test.
Broad announced his retirement from cricket on the third day of the fifth Ashes Test series against Australia. The 37-year-old cricketer, who has played in 166 Tests and taken over 600 wickets, expressed his desire to retire at the peak of his career. Broad’s illustrious 17-year international career saw him become the second-highest wicket-taker for England after James Anderson and the fifth-highest overall.
Broad’s retirement announcement came as a surprise to many, but he explained that he wanted his last game to be against Australia. Broad’s retirement marks the end of an era for English cricket, as he had been a key player in the England Test side since his debut in 2007.
This has called for new replacements to be found to fill in the void left by the pacer’s retirement and Bell feels England do have options to fill in. The former batter tipped Robinson, Tongue and Essex’s Cook to be the ones to replace the legendary bowler.
“Stuart Broad’s retirement means England need to find a replacement,’ Bell told Betfair. ‘Moeen Ali will also not play again, leaving the door open for that batting and spinning all-rounder.”
“I think as far as replacing Broad goes, England have options and they are down the road to finding some good operators. Ollie Robinson, of course, comes back into the team.”
“Josh Tongue made his debut this summer and it looked as though he could handle the pressure of a big series.”
“Sam Cook, from Essex, could do a job. I was with him with the Lions in Sri Lanka. He has a high skill level, hits the top of off with consistency like nobody else and his control of length is fantastic.”
Bell also called for patience with the likes of Tongue and Cook, who are relatively young, as they would need time to bed in.
‘What is key is recognising that guys like Tongue or Cook need time to bed in. You can’t expect either of them to be as good as Stuart straightaway,” said Bell.
Robinson’s Test career began in 2021 and has been marked by impressive performances. As of August 5, 2023, he has played 19 matches in his Test career, taking 76 wickets with an average of 22.21. His bowling prowess is evident in his economy rate, conceding nearly 2.72 runs per over, and his best individual figure stands at 5 for 49. These achievements have earned him the 9th rank in the ICC Test bowling rankings with a total of 769 points.
Tongue has had a great start to his Test career, picking up 10 wickets in the two games he has played so far.
