Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad has voiced his disappointment with Gus Atkinson’s underwhelming showing in the Ashes 2025–26, with England trailing 1–3 heading into the final Test in Sydney. Tipped to be a key figure in England’s quest to reclaim the Ashes urn for the first time since 2018, the right-arm seamer failed to deliver on expectations during the marquee series.

Stuart Broad highlights body language as Atkinson’s biggest red-ball concern

Gus Atkinson

Atkinson featured in three Tests during the series, managing just six wickets at an average of 47.33 and a strike rate of 73. His campaign was further derailed by a hamstring injury sustained in the fourth Test in Melbourne, which ruled him out of the series finale. While Broad backed Atkinson’s bowling skills, he stressed that the young pacer must improve his presence and body language in Test cricket.

“Atkinson has amazing attributes. He still averages under 25 with the ball, he wobbles the seam, he can swing it, he’s tall, he’s consistent—but his body language is not of a Test-match bowler in the battle. He has work to do on that,” Broad told Sky Sports.

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The former England pacer explained that such issues may go unnoticed against weaker opposition but become glaring at the highest level. “That doesn’t matter so much when you’re playing teams you should dominate and beat, but not against top teams. His areas of improvement aren’t attributes or mental ability to cope with pressure, but letting your team know you are leading this group,” Broad added.

Broad also urged Atkinson to avoid revealing vulnerability to opposition batters, stressing the importance of projecting control even under pressure. Drawing an analogy from golf, he said: “I read a piece about Tiger Woods, who would never look at the floor when golfing. His eyes would always be above the horizon, that’s really strong body language. When I was under pressure, I did the same so no one could tell if I’d bowled a good or bad ball. You’re constantly in the battle, and your opposition cannot feel like they are getting on top of you.”