Three weeks out from the Ashes, at least one of England’s quicks is in good fettle. Jimmy Anderson is worrying over a groin strain, Ollie Robinson a turned ankle, Olly Stone has a torn hamstring and Jofra Archer a fractured elbow, but Stuart Broad has never felt better. He is coming off what he describes as “the most enjoyable year of my life”, one in which he took 40 Test wickets, played in some of the most entertaining games of cricket he’s ever been involved in, became a father for the first time and, only a little less important, got to watch Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. He is beaming.
Better yet, he has an Ashes summer ahead. These days Broad enjoys the phoney war almost as much as he does the series itself. Almost. “I think it feels like the biggest buildup I can remember for an Ashes series,” he says. “I mean 2005 was arguably one of the most famous Ashes series. I was only just starting my professional journey then. But this feels on a par with it. It’s going to be pretty fascinating I think. The Aussies are coming off the back of a fantastic season, they dominated the summer over there, but England are playing in a style that is quite addictive to watch, and just draws you in.
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“It feels like this series is building nicely because Australia have an undoubted belief within their camp that they’ll come and win here. And we’ve got an undoubted belief that we’re going to win. I can’t think of that many series, certainly through the 90s when I was growing up, where that was the case, where both teams genuinely felt like they’re favourites. I think that’s a really cool place for the game to be. And with the way England are playing, draws aren’t really on the cards so we’re going to have wins and losses along the way which will lead to a good series I think.”
He is already playing his part. So far this summer Broad has written off England’s 4-0 defeat in 2021-22, which, he says, didn’t count because it was played during the pandemic, and also how much he would enjoy it if Steve Smith tries, and fails, to play the same sort of attacking cricket England’s batsmen have been employing recently. He doesn’t regret anything. “For us to get them out copying what we have done would be a great thrill,” Broad says again, with a mischievous grin. “I’m loving the circus, the to and fro between the players. It’s a bit like a boxing match building up to Edgbaston.” The 36‑year‑old resists a polite enquiry about whether that meant he was looking to “land a knockout blow”.
He is talking at an event organised by Marmite, which seems a neat bit of what the marketing types might call brand synergy. It and the Barmy Army have composed a new song for him. “Every bowling attack we’ve played so far has gone: ‘They can’t do it against us’, haven’t they?” says Broad. “Dean Elgar was quite vocal on that when we played South Africa last summer. And I think the Aussies will feel it as well.” Again, his sly smile does some of the talking for him. “I remember Glenn McGrath would always say Australia would win 5-0, and I used to think ‘why is he saying that’? But now I get it. Or when Nathan Lyon used to come out and say he’s suddenly turning it the other way. I find it a really nice side of Ashes cricket.”
Broad stops short of promising an entirely new delivery of his own. But he does keep talking about the outswinger he has been working on for Marnus Labuschagne. “I’d be wrong if I’d not researched what I want to do against different players. That was one of my greatest strengths against David Warner,” he says. “I did so much research against him that I realised, I’ve got to miss leg side not off side, because he doesn’t hit it through midwicket. I’ve done those numbers on Steve Smith and Labuschagne, and my numbers are high against them in recent series, so I need to do something different.” Apparently we might see “things that are a bit outside the box on the odd occasion”.
Time was when it looked like Broad wouldn’t make it here. He very nearly quit this time last year. But retirement seems to be the last thing on his mind right now. “The addiction to being in this changing room is quite strong,” he says. “Jimmy feels the same way. I am 36 turning 37 but I have always said if my competitive burn goes then I won’t be the cricketer I am. But my competitive burn is alive.”
