Stuart Broad ready to step into the unknown as England prepare for West Indies day/night Test
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England are stepping into the unknown world of day/night Test cricket on Thursday with their opening bowler having never used a pink ball in a competitive match before.
Stuart Broad missed out the pink round of championship matches this summer, and he has never played in the Champion County match in the UAE that has been a pink ball fixture for several years.
And thanks to the grim weather during the county matches during the summer, other players got very little match practice for the game in Birmingham.
“I’m stepping into the unknown completely,” said Broad. “I’ve bowled one ball with the pink ball - I got it relatively straight!
“I just don’t know what to the expect. The pink ball county round, the guys said the ball went quite soft quite quickly.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
“I need to think about fuel, and if it is colder in the evening there might be leggings on to try to avoid injury like Usain Bolt doing his hamstring.
“This is a big series for us and this is the first Test of the series - it’s quite nerve racking. You’re playing something that is completely unknown to you but you still have to stamp your authority on the series.”
Stumper Jonny Bairstow is going to have his work cut out picking up the different coloured ball as it is thrown in to him, but he’s up for the challenge.
“That’s part and parcel of it,” said Bairstow. “You have to pick up ball out of multi-coloured background wherever you are on field. It will be fascinating to see how the ball behaves.”