Chris Jordan remaining headstrong as Stuart Broad record looms

The Barbados seamer is three wickets away from becoming England's all-time T20 wicket-taker. But for now, just learning and keeping his place will do

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It is arguably one of the most curious feats in English cricket's record books. Despite having not played in the international format for more than six-and-a-half years, Stuart Broad remains the country's highest T20 wicket-taker with 65.

It is a testament to the constantly moving carousel of bowlers that such a record has stood for so long. Eoin Morgan finally has a staple of players to call upon and the results have followed. India were the last side to defeat them in a bilateral 20-over series back in 2018.

Should he collect three wickets or more during the upcoming three-match series with South Africa, then Chris Jordan will eclipse Broad as England's most successful bowler in the format. Typical of the man, the 32-year-old has given it little thought.

"To this point, it is not something I've thought about," he said. "It has crept up on me a little bit. On a day-to-day basis, I just try to give everything I can for the team and towards a winning cause.

"If wickets is a part of that, runs are a part of that then so be it. I am always happy to contribute to the team with the bat, ball or in the field, anything to help this team moving forward. 

Though Jordan didn't grab the headlines of Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes or Sam Curran during the Indian Premier League, it was another fruitful campaign for Jordan with Kings XI Punjab. His first 12 overs in the competition were wicketless and went for 151 but he made a rousing comeback, finishing with nine scalps as KL Rahul's side made a late push for the playoffs.

And as Jordan explained, sticking to his principals was key to enjoying an encouraging second half of the tournament. "The nature of T20 cricket if you're a bowler those kinds of things are liable to happen," he added. "The quality of batsmen and hitters out there is unbelievable. You can go back through your spell and look at your execution and think that it wasn't too far off. 

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Chris Jordan could go past Stuart Broad this winter

"Over a period of time, I try to judge myself on execution as much as possible. I try to get my emotions as level as possible. In T20 cricket you have to stick to your strengths because batters and hitters can make you doubt them at times. It was a tough start for the team in general but we showed good character to bounce back and make a late push for the playoffs."

Like England did during the summer, South Africa have decided against taking a knee during this tour. The Proteas made the gesture during the 3TC game in July but it will not be repeated.

Though Jordan believes there is still value in taking a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, conversations behind the scenes can be equally as beneficial.

"The situation is very individual," he explained. "A lot of the honest work going on around the matter will be done in private. The real change will come through conversations one-on-one with people. If that is what they as an organisation believe in then I don't think it should be judged from any other point of view than it is a personal decision. We can move on.

"One hundred per cent (taking a knee is important). But I am quite open-minded around the topic in terms of the different types of work that can be done. Taking the knee is something very visual that people see especially when they turn on sport.

"Personally, I'm a big believer in the real conversations that are taking place behind the scenes, especially among our group as an England team. It is clear a lot of the real change will come from that."

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