Stuart Broad, England’s great speedster, has described the current Australian top-order as the most confusing he has seen in his career. Australia is fielding a new top three, with Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, and Cameron Green, following David Warner’s retirement in 2023 and Marnus Labuschagne’s dismal form.
Stuart Broad, who has played 40 Ashes Tests and bowled against Australian legends such as Matthew Hayden
“I’m not alone in believing it’s the most confused top thr, Justin Langer, and Ricky Ponting, is concerned about Australia’s current Test top-order instability.ee in my lifetime. “I grew up with Hayden, Langer, and Ponting,” Broad remarked on The Grade Cricketer podcast.
“However, I believe Usman is struggling. Cameron Green, at the age of three, is a number six. Or five. Anyone who used to take off stump guard would excite me as an opener because they play at fifth stump and have no idea where their off stump is. Finally, while Labuschagne has struggled in recent years, he is a talented player. So I’d be amazed if he didn’t resurface at some point,” he said.
Broad emphasised the importance of the Australian top-order struggling to play the new ball, protecting the middle-order Steve Smith and Travis Head to play their natural game.
He pointed out once Smith settles in at the crease it can be extremely dangerous for the opposition.
“They need to find a way to protect Smith and Head at four and five who are unbelievable and Carey is playing great at seven. You can’t have Steve Smith in so early every game. One of Australia’s greatest strengths is when ‘Smudger’ arrives with a 35-over old ball and it’s doing nothing, so they need to find a way to do that,” Broad concluded.
The World Test Championship 2025 runners-up will have another tight contest, as they gear up for the pink-ball Test against West Indies in Kingston starting on July 12. The visitors have already sealed the three-match series 2-0.
India
