Stuart Broad in consideration to revamp England's ODI bowling

The English ODI side has gone a remarkable transformation since the 2015 World Cup with a huge exodus and a lot of newcomers. England have adopted a totally new approach to the ODI format, effortlessly caressing an average of 6.5 runs per over since the torrid World Cup ended. They racked up some of the highest scores in the past year, including the highest ever- 444 against Pakistan. However, playing on batsman friendly pitches has meant that their bowling has gone the distance.

In India, their bowling selection and tactics came under the scanner during the test series also, but after England conceded over a 1000 runs in 3 innings and lost the ODI series 1-2, questions have been asked about the proficiency and effectiveness of the attack. Only Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali are considered as certain options for the upcoming Champions Trophy in June, the last two mainly because of their additional batting prowess.

England coach Trevor Bayliss has told the likes of Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Chris Jordan and maybe even Tymal Mills there is still time, with eight 50-over matches to go before the showpiece event, to force their way into contention. 30-year-old Broad has shown his desire to play white ball cricket by representing Hobart Hurricanes in the ongoing BBL and is by far the most experienced of the lot.

He has played 121 ODIs and had 178 wickets to his credit when he last played an ODI almost a year ago against South Africa. He picked 8 wickets for Hobart Hurricanes in as many appearances.

Also read- Tymal Mills’ pace doesn’t bother me: Virat Kohli

“Our bowling in the three games was a little disappointing and if we’d got the ball in the right areas more often the result would have been different,” said Bayliss. “There are a number of games to go before that Champions Trophy and that will keep pressure on the guys and push them to greater heights to stay in the team. We’ve seen in the past that they have done the job for us and there’s no reason why they can’t come back from this.”

“The upcoming T20I series against India can be vital for the likes of Jake Ball, Adil Rashid, David Willey and Liam Plunkett who failed to make an impact during the ODIs. Mark Wood, who is injured, and Tymal Mills are also viable candidates for the vacant slots. We’ll see how he goes in these T20 matches,” said Bayliss.

“Whether 10 overs is a little too far for him we’ re not really sure at this stage so that’s something we will keep in the back of our minds. Woody is coming back from injury and we’ve got guys like Finn and Broad on the outside. Everyone is a viable option until we finalise the team.”