England: Stuart Broad's rise to top of ICC Test rankings was long time coming

New Delhi: Stuart Broad has defined a new sense of fear and excitement in Test cricket and his hostile bowling against South Africa in the 3rd test at Johannesburg was enthralling for the fans to watch.

Broad's rise to the top was long time coming and his spell against the Proteas enhanced his reputation of a game changer once again. In 2015 he brushed the Aussies away in the Ashes at Nottingham and that glimpse was again seen on Saturday.

The best thing about Broad is that he has produced match-winning spells against top teams like Australia and South Africa recently.

Broad has gone on to become England's third highest wicket taker in Tests and alongside James Anderson, the duo have continued their excellent partnership as new ball bowlers over the years. Alastair Cook will be a happy skipper knowing that he has two genuine world class bowlers in his ranks who can step up at any given time and deliver the goods.

There is a lot of excitement amongst fans in stadiums witnessing Broad bowl as if they sense something magic is going to happen everytime he steps up with the red cherry.

Broad's bowling has improved drastically and he has adapted to the situations well away from home too. In the last five seasons, Broad has been consistent with his performances and has picked wickets thoroughly.

In 2015, Broad finished with the second most wickets behind India's Ravichandran Ashwin, the man whom he replaced at the summit of the rankings.

This year he has continued from where he left off and that has ben England's big strengths as a Test side.

Broad looked ferocious and bowled with venom as he ripped apart the Proteas by claiming five wickets in one spell to reduce the hosts to 5/35. Broad took five wickets in 31 balls and gave away a solitary run.

Earlier in 2015, Broad dismantled the Aussies who were out before lunch itself. He went on a carnage after wrecking the Australian batting line-up who were shot for a dismal 60-run first innings score in the fourth Test Ashes match in Nottingham.

Stuart Broad's spell of 12.1-6-17-6 at Johannesburg, revisited his spell of 9.3-5-15-8 at Trent Bridge on August 6, 2015.