"I have a huge amount of sympathy for Chris Silverwood and Joe Root" - Stuart Broad
Veteran England seamer Stuart Broad reckons Joe Root and Chris Silverwood have a challenge to save their jobs following an underwhelming Ashes campaign. Broad expressed sympathy for his captain and head coach due to a lack of consistency in the playing elevens and coaching staff.
Following another Ashes drubbing Down Under, Root and Silverwood's positions are under scrutiny. The pair coped widespread criticism for their selections and for failing to read the conditions well. England are likely to replace Silverwood as they look for better results in the Test arena.
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Australia win by 146 runs and complete a 4-0 series victory.
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In his column for The Daily Mail, Broad said Silverwood and Root have been at the receiving end most times due to tough circumstances. Expressing sympathy for them, the 35-year old Nottinghamshire seamer wrote:
"It’s been incredibly tough for both Joe Root and Chris Silverwood to get any consistency in playing XIs or in the coaching staff, and that makes it hard to reinforce the messages you are trying to get across to the team."
"I have a huge amount of sympathy for both of them. In my lifetime, I cannot recall a more difficult two years for anyone to have been captain or coach."
Stuart Broad was one of the unfortunate players in the series. The right-arm seamer did not play in Brisbane and Melbourne, despite the tracks in both venues supporting seamers. Several former players felt the series could have been competitive had England's team selections been better.
"To win in Australia, you need your England team to be at its absolute best" - Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad acknowledged that Australia are a more well-rounded team than England, who failed to play to their potential. The 35-year old said that England had a settled side in their winning campaigns in 1986-87 and 2010-11 and Australia were vulnerable. He said:
"At the end of the day, we England players weren’t good enough; Australia are a better Test team than us, and contain greater armoury in more positions. To win in Australia, you need your England team to be at its absolute best, and for Australia to have a really wobbly, torrid time."
"That is what happened in both 1986–87 and in 2010–11. In those years, Australia were changing their batting and bowling line-ups, and England had teams at their best. Unfortunately, none of the stars aligned in this series."
A pair for David Warner! 😳
Stuart Broad strikes early for England and Australia are 0/1
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England will now turn their attention to a three-Test series in the West Indies. The selectors are likely to ring the changes following the performances Down Under.