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Stuart Broad hopeful of newly appointed Troy Cooley’s Work and Contribution

Stuart Broad firmly believes that the appointment of Troy Cooley as a consultant fast-bowling coach just before next month’s first Test at Brisbane will surely provide England’s bowlers with those key “one-percenters” in their goal to regain the Ashes on Australian soil.

 

Cooley, who helped to build England’s lethal pace attack that won the Ashes in 2005, has been intensely working with Cricket Australia since then, including a job as caretaker coach in South Africa in 2011, and assistant to Justin Langer in the last Ashes campaign in England in 2019.

Broad’s take on Cooley’s assistance

“[Cooley] arrived when we got out of quarantine [on] Saturday, but he’s with us for a decent period of time,” Broad told cricket.com.au. “Really looking forward to picking his brain on Australian conditions, and Australian players, to be honest.”

 

“He’s been in their setup for a long period of time, through development and at the top level. He can give us great insight into Australian batters’ mentality; what they’re looking to do, where they’re looking to score, where they don’t like the ball, how (we should) be around them – whether you talk to them, whether you ignore them, whether you sledge them … can you annoy them enough to make a mistake?

 

“All this sort of detail, we’ll be picking Troy’s brain, because anything you can get – even a one-percenter on someone – will be really useful for us. You need all that sort of stuff to win in Australia. You need to be at the top of your game at all times, and find little chinks in the opposition’s armoury.”

ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat backs Cooley

As you must have understood by now, there’s no doubt that Cooley’s assistance might just be the help needed for the English Bowling attack to win. Matt Prior, the former Ashes winner, had claimed that bowlers’ role will be the most crucial in this ashes. So, the way Cooley’s guides the pacers might ultimately be the difference in the final scoreline.

 

“It’s great to have someone with Troy’s expertise and experience supporting our Ashes prep and also working closely with our Lions pace bowlers,” said Mo Bobat, the ECB Performance Director. “Troy’s understanding of what it takes to be successful in Australian conditions is second to none, and the players are sure to benefit hugely.”