Stuart Broad: “I think we will rightly be favourites when Australia come over to us in 2019 – and I expect us to win”
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
With the 2017/18 Ashes done and dusted, England pace bowler Stuart Broad has already taken a jab at Australia ahead of the two teams’ next scheduled meeting in 2019.
With the next Ashes series to be held in England, Broad vowed that his side would win the coveted urn back after they were thrashed 4-0 in Australia.
Broad also dismissed speculation that he would retire after the recently concluded Ashes series due to his under-par performance as he was limited to 11 wickets at an average of 47.72.
“It is not a sentiment reflected in the scoreline of this Ashes series, but I think we will rightly be favourites when Australia come over to us in 2019 – and I expect us to win,” Broad wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. “I definitely aim to be part of that and after this Test is over we start building towards that goal, putting in place plans to get the Ashes back.
“We’ll have to see whether I get another chance to be a full part of a squad that wins an Ashes on Australian soil, but if it doesn’t happen it won’t be a huge sadness.”
Broad also admitted that Australia captain Steve Smith deserves to be called the best batsman in the world after he finished the series with 687 runs, which included three centuries and five fifties, at an average of 137.40.
“There have been a lot of questions in the last two or three years over who the best player in the world is,” the 31-year-old wrote. “I think that has been answered by Steve Smith, with the Australia captain having raced to 6,000 Test runs. Much as we have been fed up with the sight of him, you have to tip your hat in his direction.
“He doesn’t change the tempo in his innings, he doesn’t get flustered or agitated. You feel that when he is out there he is booking in for a long innings and he has been relentless. He has a calm presence at the crease, as generally the best players do.
“He also has a calming influence on those batting with him. His technique can get a bit more frantic when there is movement and that is where you need to take advantage. But he has shown how it is done on these pitches and sometimes you have to say ‘Well played!'”