One to watch: Stuart Broad

It doesn't take a particularly perspicacious watcher of the game to choose Chris Broad's son Stuart as one to be keeping a close eye on over the next few months and years. Still only 20 years old, this Leicestershire right-arm medium-fast bowler has attracted interest at the highest levels.

He has been playing first-class cricket since 2005 having shone brightly throughout his school-boy days, and although first touted as an opening batsman, has proved that the growth spurt that now sees him topping 6 foot, has been a gift to him as a bowler. He has an economy rate of 3.59 in first-class matches and although his One Day figures are far from that, he has not played enough for this to be meaningful.

In August 2006, the teen-aged Stuart made his debut for England in the day/night match at Sophia Gardens during the Pakistan ODI series. Not out at the end of the first innings, he went on to take the wicket of Shoaib Malik. Last April in the West Indies, in the ICC World Cup Super Eights, Broad was again not out, and showed some nifty fielding with a sharp catch off Flintoff's bowling to send Chris Gayle off the park.

Winning NBC Denis Compton Awards in both 2005 and 2006, and also garnering the Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year in 2006 are significant indicators that here is a true talent to be nurtured for the near and longer-term future.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]