"It feels like a team that is building towards something pretty special" - Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad believes the current England Test team are building towards "something special" and they will be at their peak in another year or 18 months. England are set to square off against three of the world's best Test sides this year - New Zealand, India and Australia.
Although England missed out on a spot in the World Test Championship final, Stuart Broad is confident in the quality of his side.
Speaking to the Press Association at an event, the fast bowler said:
"It's a very exciting year and we are in a really exciting place as a team. It feels like a team that is building towards something pretty special. We aren't the finished article because we don't have those guys with 50, 60, 70 Tests. What we have is guys who've played 100 and guys who've played around 15. But there are younger players who've come in with the backbone and the skill-set this team is looking for."
Broad added that they are banking on the likes of Zak Crawley, Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, and Ollie Pope to get the big first-innings runs, which are often important to win a Test match.
"We have said there's a clear style of looking for big first-innings runs and people like Zak Crawley, Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope can make serious scores at Test level,'' Stuart Broad added.
The series against India will undoubtedly be a highlight this year, but England's major challenge will be to win the Ashes Down Under. The last time England won a Test series in Australia was in 2010-11 under Andrew Strauss' captaincy.
"I don't see that rotation ploy being used in England" - Stuart Broad
England's rotation policy has raised a few eyebrows this year. Stuart Broad and James Anderson have played just one Test together out of six games on the sub-continent earlier this year. Broad, however, is expecting things to change when England start playing at home.
"By the end of last summer I think we showed that Jimmy and I were both in the best bowling attack in England. I don't see that (rotation) ploy being used in England. There are seven Tests and both of us might not play them all but we have shown great longevity and consistency. With us only playing red-ball cricket, there are guys who might need to rest for white-ball opportunities," said Stuart Broad who has 517 Test wickets to his name.
England's two-match Test series against New Zealand will start on 2nd June. The Kiwis will then lock horns with India in the final of the World Test Championship. Following the final, England will play a grueling five-match Test series against India.