"He reminds me of Mitchell Johnson": Stuart Broad on England's debutant Josh Hull
Sep 08, 2024
London [UK], September 8 : Former England pacer Stuart Broad has compared Josh Hull to Australia's Mitchell Johnson, noting that Hull's slingy arm action helps him swing the ball.
Broad, commented on this after the Englishman made his international debut in the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval. Hull took his first Test wicket when Pathum Nissanka hit the ball to the cover fielder.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Broad mentioned that Hull, 20, from Leicestershire, could make better use of his height.
"He reminds me slightly of Mitchell Johnson with that slingy action so he could get that bowling arm closer to the ear and deliver from higher. But you have to be able to do that and not lose the swing as that is a great threat of his. The slingy action might not be a negative. It might not allow you to get the bounce you would like but you can get the ball to skid on," the 38-year-old said, as per quoted by Sky Sports.
Broad further said that he believes Hull's run-up will evolve over time and his pace will also increase.
"I have been really impressed. He has been picked on attributes. His height, his bounce, getting the ball to swing back into the right-handed batter. An average of 83mph is fine in Test match cricket but he will get quicker the older he gets. I think his run-up will evolve over time. I don't think it will stay as long as it is at the moment. The big thing for me is that his feet and hips are facing the target - he is aligned really nicely to make the batters play," Broad added.
However, Hull's debut also had a low point when he missed an easy catch off Shoaib Bashir's bowling when Dhananjaya de Silva hit the ball straight to mid-on during the 33rd over.
Hull, a 20-year-old left-arm quick, has replaced Matthew Potts from the playing XI for the series concluder.The Leicestershire seamer has been making a name for himself in England's domestic set-up in the past 12 months.
At 6'7, Hull would be keen to use his height as an advantage to generate bounce off the surface and cause Sri Lanka batters trouble.
