Stuart Broad likes what he sees in England new boy Jake Ball

England paceman is impressed with Notts team-mate's rapid rise

England bowler Stuart Broad speaks highly of newcomer Jake Ball (Getty)

Stuart Broad sees similarities in himself with Jake Ball but won’t be rushing to give the newcomer any advice for fear of meddling and muddling the paceman who he thinks is in fine fettle as it is. The bowler has been called up to the England squad ahead of next week’s first Investec Test against Sri Lanka and his Nottinghamshire team-mate has been impressed.

“Jake is a relatively similar bowler to myself in height and what he looks to do with the ball,” Broad says. “We’re good friends and I’ll be able to talk it through with him. But, to be honest, the way he’s bowling at the minute, he’s the sort of guy you just let go. Whatever he's been doing in the last 18 months, but particularly the last six, seven weeks, is exactly what’s got him into the Test-match squad so that’s what he should do if he gets a chance to play.

The time for Broad’s pearls of wisdom can wait. “Discussions come and learning comes when, say, he goes to India where he’s never been or plays at a ground he’s never played. That’s when you can learn from others but the way he is at the minute, I wont say too much to him. I wouldn’t want to be the bloke that puts him off!

“I've seen a lot of him over the last three or four years,” Broad adds, “and he’s developed so quickly over the last 18 months. He’s tall, he’s got good pace and he can move the ball both away and into the right-hander and he comes round the wicket to the left-handers as well. He takes big wickets [he’s got Joe Root and Kumar Sangakarra this summer in County matches]. He gets top order batsmen out. I know he’s delighted with the call-up and it’s great reward for early county season form.”

But how will he handle the pressure of an England call up? Some cricketers take to the international scene like ducks to water others sink under the weight of expectation. “Well, we played the county champions [Yorkshire] last week and he was the best bowler on show,” Broad says. “It’s always a good sign when players perform on TV against big players. When he found out he said he felt a bit sick - but he then said he didn’t know if that was because he had a bit too much cake at Lord’s!”

Sangakkara, one of Ball’s many victims this season - he leads the First Division wicket-taking chart - also thinks the decision to include the seamer is sensible. “He’s very impressive,” said the former Sri Lanka and now Surrey batsman. “He has good movement with the ball. He’s not express quick but he bowls a heavy ball and he bowls in the right areas. If it’s not working he changes very quickly with lines and angles and lengths. When you have bowlers in form you need to pick them at the right time - so England’s made a very wise choice.”

The other newcomer in the England squad is James Vince of Hampshire who will bat at No 5 as a replacement for James Taylor who has retired due to ill-health. Broad has heard good things and thinks it will add even more firepower to England’s already explosive middle-order. “From what I hear he’s got a very good temperament, very relaxed, he knows his game,” Broad says. “He’s been compared to Michael Vaughan. He looks like he will suit the better pitches of Test cricket than nibbly wickets of country cricket - but saying that he still averages 42 in first-class so he’s obviously got a huge amount of talent.

“I like the way that adds strength to our middle order - he is a bit of a shotmaker - he plays through the off-side extremely well and likes to score. So with the likes of Root, Vince, Stokes and Bairstow, we should see quite an entertaining batting order if the top order set it up.”

Broad is also pleased that the selectors, true to form, have largely stuck with the squad that was successful in the winter. “It’s an exciting squad,” he says. “I like the fact the selectors have given chances to guys who were involved in the Test series win in South Africa - because that’s not an easy thing to do and these are the guys in possession of the shirts and they deserve another crack.”