Broad struggling to shoulder the burden

As the youngest member of England's Ashes squad, you could forgive Stuart Broad for feeling the pressure. But as the burden of The Ashes grow greater, is it all becoming too much for the 23 year old's slender shoulders to bear?

There's no doubting Broad's pedigree. His rise to the England set up was fast as it was impressive, with a growth spurt of nearly a foot at the age of 17 putting a stop to plans of becoming an opening batsman, just like his father. Instead, he had aspirations to becoming an all-rounder. And he didn't look back.

Indeed, comparisons with Andrew Flintoff are not too far off the mark. In time, Broad is seen as the the natural replacement for Freddie. And at 23, time is certainly on Broad's side. He is someone who the ECB have invested a lot of time and care in, being careful not to push him too hard, too soon.

He's showed maturity beyond his tender years, too, by shunning the IPL to ensure he was physically and mentally ready for a summer of cricket with England. It's a lesson Kevin Pietersen could learn.

But this is the here and now, and this is The Ashes. And it's clear to see his bowling lacks control and consistency. Indeed, Broad's bowling figures in this series are not too dissimilar to those of Mitchell Johnson. The Australian's series figures of 8/331 compare favourably with Broad's figures of 4/307. And there's no prizes for guessing who has been the liability, and who's place is not in doubt.

As things stand, Broad is proving himself to be an expensive option in the bowling attack, with wickets at a cost of 77 apiece in this series. There's no doubting his talent, and in time, he will develop into a very good bowler. But is he ready for an Ashes series?

There are other options. Ask any Australian if they would rather face Broad or Steve Harmison, and they'd be sure to go for the former. Harmison is hungry, and bowling with pace and menace. And what about Ryan Sidebottom? Just a year ago he was England's first choice bowler, now he finds himself lost in the shuffle. Both Harmison and Sidebottom are, fit, bowling well, and getting wickets. Which is more than can be said for Broad at the moment.

Of course, as long as England are winning the series, changes to the bowling attack become less likely. There's no need to change things if it's working, and it's certainly working at the moment for England. It's much easier to find fault when things aren't going your way - as Johnson's figures will testify to. However, with that being said, an Australian test win could see Broad's figures put under the spotlight.

A good performance in the remainder of the Third Test could put a stop to that.