Thetownend.com

Currently averages over 40 with the bat.

Okay so that's from only a handful of tests, but it suggests he could be an option to play at #6 and be the fifth bowler.

Just thought I'd put that idea out there.

the question is, is he only batting so well because he's coming in as a tailender with very little pressure?

i'd leave him where he is.

Thinking about it I would also say that his average is boosted by the NO in his last innings?

I do like him but his bowling is looking tired at the moment.

Was this not discussed on Sky Sports News this morning?  Allan Lamb and Ian Botham suggested this, as up until his late teens Broad was a batsman, only late on did he turn to bowling.  Lamb and Beefy both said that Broad has what it takes to be england's all rounder.

Beefy's comments were taken after the last test.

I didn't see that.

I would not, ever, try and pass Beefy's comments off as my own. Honest.

What we need is a player with Broad's batting and Freddie's bowling. That would be gert ace.

andrew flintoff perhaps?
far superior batsmen to broad at this moment in time i would say.

Agree,i was thinking about this the other night and came to the same conclusion.You have to wonder if he'd bat as well having to come in at seven like Freddie and save the test match because our top order have buggered it up again.

Still he has potential and was good to see him play some of those great shots and drag the game out a bit.

Going back a good few years the late Bob Woolmer used to bat at Kent about 7 and bowl some medium pacers...he eventually ended up 3 for England.

  There's no reason why Broad cannot go from bowler to batter.

No no no. Broad is the missing link we have needed to bat at number 8 for a number of years now. He's perfect in that slot. If he plays at 8 we can have Freddie at 6 or 7 and have 5 bowlers 2 of whom can bat. That's pretty much the perfect all round team which is what is needed in tests.

Come on you lot!...your all missing the point,1st test walloped the South Africans,should hve stuffed them,we didnt and PANIC...Granted Sidebottom was out so bring in like for like i,e Tremlett,Mahmoud...Swindons Lewis wouldve bowled better than the Ausie...The bring back Freddie Brigade got it all wrong and it totally fuked the balance of the side,Collingwood is our best fielder,can bat and is not a bad bowler.100% fit Fred yes,75% fit Fred a defo no.

pattinson bowled well. better than lewie would have done. freddie was obviously fit, hence why he bowled so many overs. how on earth are tremlett or mahmood like for like for sidebottom? pattinson evidently was, as the best swing bowler in county cricket this season.

leefer, that post is off its rocker

  Boeta, this isn't one of your better thought out efforts.

  You've no way of telling if JL would have been more or less effective than DP. The selectors decided DP was teh best available swing bowler, but did they take into account the Trent Bridge factor...namely that since the new stand there it seems to swing more than previously.

   If they wanted a horses for courses bowler surely Hoggy or even Tim Bresnan would have been a better bet.

well of course it wasn't reg, look at the time. still lewie isn't the bowler he was around 2004-05.

i'd have picked hoggard as well, but pattinson did actually bowl pretty well

back onto broad, does he move the red ball enough at the minute for a test spot? i don't think so

 Pattinson did OK ....but OK isn't enough, unfortunately there is a dearth of wicket taking bowlers at the moment.  Getting the batting right has to be the main priority.....the poor first innings, is what cost in the last test.  OK losing the toss didn't help, but we didn't play the situation.

No OK isn't good enough, but did the bowlers as a unit do OK? Perhaps. So the whole scapegoating of Pattinson is unnecessary. The batting is the biggest concern, then a strike bowler who'll get wickets.

Whoever mentioned Mahmood - quick yes, good, no.

Have to agree with Iffys Onion Bhaji. If they promote him too early he'll crumble under the pressure and never look the same again. Leave the pressure off. We need a decent number 8 who commands some respect from the opposition.

Have to say I think Pattison is the worst England selection since Aftab Habib.

For me it should have been Tremlett. If only for one game.

Batsmen lost the game for England. Vaughan needs a big score, he keeps limping on, shadow of his former self, and keeping a much more reliable batsmen (Owais Shah) out of the team.

Well, According to how Vaughan was talking today Broad is likely to be relegated to 12th man or dropped altogether.  Shame really, his batting should ensure he plays and acts as fourth bowler.  Biggest problem is the balance of the side, Ambrose is an adequate wicket keeper but is not a no. 6 test batsman.

The talk now is that Collingwood will return to bat at No.6 and that we'll play 4 bowlers.
As a result of this Broad is likely to be left out,because first and foremost he was selected
as a bowler.Very hard on the guy if this happens.