Stuart Broad tells Neil Wagner to ‘take it easy’ after New Zealand pacer topples him to second spot in ICC Test bowlers' rankings

Stuart Broad, without a shred of a doubt, is one of the greatest bowlers to have ever embraced the game of cricket. Though he isn’t in the scheme of things as far as ODI and T20I cricket is concerned, he has continued to show his class in Test cricket. Ben Stokes, England’s stand-in skipper for the opening Test against the West Indies back in July, came under a lot of fire for dropping Broad.

But the seamer made his comeback in the second and not only did he pick up wickets, but he also managed to score handy runs with the bat in hand. Broad has 514 wickets from 143 Tests with 18 five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket hauls. However, in the latest turn of events, the 34-year-old Broad slipped down to third in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers.

 

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Stuart Broad slips down

Broad is currently on 845 rating points and second on the rankings is New Zealand’s Neil Wagner with 849 rating points. In the meantime, Broad had a hilarious comment on the post. The pacer, in a funny manner, asked Wagner to relax a little in terms of moving up the ladder. Tagging Wagner, he replied to the post and wrote, “Take it easy.“

Here’s the screenshot of Broad’s reply-

Wagner is one of the most attacking bowlers for New Zealand in the last few years. Earlier, Steve Smith, the former Australia skipper, said how Wagner manages to ruffle the feathers of the best with his ability to bowl bouncers, day in and day out.

During the Black Caps’ tour of Australia last year, Wagner peppered Smith, Matthew Wade, etc, with short-pitched deliveries. In 49 Tests, the southpaw has 212 wickets with 10 four-wicket hauls and nine five-wicket hauls, showing the damage he can do with the ball in hand.

He recently spewed venom in the Kiwis’ opening Test against the West Indies at the Seddon Park in Hamilton. In the first innings, he picked up the wickets of Roston Chase and Shannon Gabriel. In the second innings, he churned out the wickets of Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Jermaine Blackwood and Gabriel, guiding his team to victory.