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Cricket

Broad aiming for England all-rounder spot

14/05/2008

Nottinghamshire seamer Stuart Broad has admitted he is hoping to become a genuine all-rounder in the England Test team in years to come.

The 21-year-old is only just taking his first tentative steps in international cricket but is already showing his ambition to cement a place in the team by offering something with both bat and ball.

In his five Test innings so far, Broad averages a solid 23 with his highest score of 42 coming in the first innings of the third Test against New Zealand earlier this year.

In the second innings of that match Broad contributed a further 31 runs and showed real promise with the bat as he played some expansive shots in a polished performance.

But the youngster says he is keen to improve his technique in order to become a regular threat lower down the order, in the same mould as the Black Caps' Daniel Vettori or Australia's Brett Lee.

"It's obviously very important in international cricket now to be able to hold a bat," Broad said.

"It's very important for me not just to hold up an end but to have an ability to score runs."

Broad admitted batting gives him "a great buzz" and said he "enjoy[s] the battle between batsman and bowler, no matter what side [he's] on".

"Hitting a good cover drive gives me almost as much enjoyment as bowling," he revealed.

"If you look at successful sides they all bat a long way down. We all know at number eight, nine, ten and 11 that every run is vital.

"There's nothing worse when you're a bowling side when the lower-order batsman are hanging around, scoring runs and being difficult to dismiss.

"That is the aim of this side and everyone is working harder to get better, and I think we are."

England begin the first Test of their three-match series against New Zealand at Lord's tomorrow, with further fixtures set for Old Trafford on May 23rd and Trent Bridge on June 5th.