Stuart Broad: "Being part of a successful Ashes tour next winter is like my Olympics"

In a wide-ranging interview with Simon Hughes on The Analyst Virtual Cricket Club, Broad also discussed English sport's culture of writing off players in the latter stages of their career, as well as how he came to thrive without crowds

Stuart Broad has vowed to continue playing international cricket for as long as possible, describing next winter’s Ashes tour as “like my Olympics”, adding that over the last year and a half he feels as though he has been at his best.

Speaking to Simon Hughes as part of The Analyst Virtual Cricket Club, which is raising money in aid of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, the England seamer talked openly about how at 34 years of age, he feels at the very peak of his powers.

“English sport is such an interesting one, isn’t it?” he said. “At 32 or 33, you get written off, don’t you? Who’s next on the train? Who’s next coming in? Who should he be replacing? Whereas, you look at Tom Brady in America and he’s won double the amount of Superbowls since he was 34 than he did before 34.

“I believe in the last year and a half, I’ve got everything coming together: experience, fitness, knowledge of all conditions, knowledge of loads of different players, competitiveness, enjoyment, happiness at home, calmness, no fear of having a bad day because I’ve had them before. All those things have come together, which makes me a better cricketer. I believe that.

“I will only keep playing and will only have a hunger to keep playing while my competitive spirit is right up there because that’s what drives me every day. Can we win? Can we win for England? Can we enjoy that feeling in the changing room after? If that goes, then it’s time for me to move on and give the chance to someone else, but I feel like I’m at my best. This year has probably proven that, so try to get as much out of that as possible.”

In 12 months’ time, England will be on the cusp of a trip to Australia, seeking to win down under for the first time since 2010/11 – a series in which Broad only played a limited role after tearing an abdominal muscle. Yet, he believes that triumph can inform England’s plans as they build towards taking on Tim Paine’s side.

“This is just my opinion but I just think with Australia that we sometimes get caught up in this: ‘You have to take 90mph or 95mph bowlers, they’ll win you it in Australia,’” he explained. “But actually, in my opinion, it’s runs.

^{Broad was presented with a memento after taking his 500th Test wicket}

“When was England’s last success? 2010-11: Cook, series of his life; Trott, hundreds; Strauss, hundreds; KP, big hundred; Bell, hundred; Prior, hundred. Who were the bowlers? Jimmy Anderson had good success, Bresnan, Tremlett – all 82mph or 83mph. In my opinion, this myth of needing 95mph to win there, you don’t. You need 550 on the board. Let’s see how the Australian batsmen play with 550 on the board.”

In last summer’s Ashes, he was at the centre of England’s best work, taking 23 wickets at 26.65 apiece, including the scalp of David Warner on seven occasions. Broad has taken 118 of his 514 Test wickets against Australia, but with the vast majority on home soil. His record in Australia stands currently at 34 wickets at an average of 37.17 – numbers he will be looking to improve upon.

“Going to Australia, winning and being part of a successful Ashes tour next winter is like my Olympics, if that makes sense. That is a goal that I really want to achieve, but I certainly don’t want to sit here and think that I’m targeting that as a great way to finish or anything. I want to keep going, I want to keep playing.

“If I’m taking wickets for England, in the last year I’ve risen – I think – from 18th to second in the world on the bowling rankings. I have a goal to keep improving. If I’m improving at this age, why can’t I improve next year? I still feel fresh, I still haven’t had too many injury concerns. Jimmy, from 34 to 37, was probably at his absolute peak. He’s my inspiration, so why can’t I do that?”

This year in isolation, he has the remarkable record of 38 wickets at 14.76 apiece, including that of West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who became his 500th Test victim in the process.

Broad had begun the summer out of the side, with Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and James Anderson chosen as the pace triumvirate for Ben Stokes, who captained England in the first game against Jason Holder’s team at the Ageas Bowl.

Broad gave an impassioned interview during the game, during which he admitted his frustration and disappointment at being left out.

^{Broad cited James Anderson as his inspiration - the pair have taken more than 1,000 Test wickets between them}

He had spoken prior to the series beginning about how he would look to combat the lack of crowds, especially as someone who had so often built his own momentum off the atmosphere around him. It had led him to sitting down with team psychologist David Young in an attempt to create an alternative boost.

“I was worried about not playing in front of crowds, to be honest,” Broad explained. “I spoke to him in May and shared my concerns. It was very much about ramping up the personal battle and the competitiveness with the batsman and the opposition team. Then, your skill will carry you through the battle.

“Because I’m competitive and you were playing Test cricket, you could focus on that individual battle at that period, and it felt fine. The biggest time we missed it was on reviews, where you have that ‘should we, shouldn’t we’ panic, and then the crowd get into it and it’s on the big screen. And then, you’d have a huge celebration when it’s three reds. That was lacking.

“Also, when Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler had that incredible innings at Old Trafford to win the first Test against Pakistan, it would have been a party there. Winning moments and special moments, it was heart-breaking that crowds weren’t in.

“But actually to have played the amount of cricket we got to play this summer has done the game the world of good. Obviously, the ECB have still lost a lot of money but I’d be scared to think where this game would be if we didn’t get all the cricket in.”

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