"No excuses for England's performances on this Ashes tour; we are frustrated with ourselves" - Stuart Broad
Veteran England seamer Stuart Broad has said England have no excuses for their shambolic performances in the Ashes series. Broad expressed frustration at his own performances, having not contributed a match-winning effort.
Australia have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series, winning the first three Tests comprehensively. The third Test in Melbourne saw England's campaign stoop to its lowest. The visitors were bundled out for 68 in their second innings to lose by an innings and 14 runs inside three days.
Australia win the third Test and retain the Ashes.
Scorecard: ms.spr.ly/6012ZZQUA
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In his column for The Daily Mail, Broad said that England have turned up underprepared for the series. While offering no excuses, Broad observed that several Australian players had played state cricket before the Ashes. Broad wrote:
"I want to be crystal clear about this. There are no excuses for England's performances on this Ashes tour. But there are reasons why things have turned out as they have."
"The reality is we turned up undercooked while Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland and Jhye Richardson were playing state cricket. Yes, like us, Australia had players at the Twenty20 World Cup until mid-November. But was it a level playing field? Not really."
Yet, the 35-year old believes England only have themselves to blame for repeating their mistakes, and admits Australia have been a better side than the tourists.
"Nevertheless, should we have done better? Absolutely. So we are frustrated with ourselves. We've been making the same mistakes for a long time. Both at home and abroad. Over three matches, they have been better in every department. They've scored more runs, taken their catches, and bowled us out cheaply. They have thumped us in that regard."
From England's perspective, their batting has been a massive letdown except Joe Root. Captain Root remains the only England batter to have averaged over 40, with the rest of the batters have appeared at sea. They must show some grit in the remaining two Tests to avoid the ignominy of a series whitewash.
"The biggest frustration is losing the Ashes, feeling like I've not really done anything" - Stuart Broad
Broad also regretted not doing enough for England in the ongoing series. However, the veteran remains as hungry as ever to play Test cricket, and is looking forward to playing in the next two games, saying:
"The biggest frustration is losing the Ashes, being 3-0 down and feeling like I've not really done anything. Not being able, as an experienced player, to influence a series while it's live is tough. Has it affected my hunger to play Test cricket? No".
" Looking at things pragmatically, I would argue that I won't get a better chance to take wickets than at Brisbane and Melbourne. But I must be ready for my next opportunity, whether that be in Sydney, Hobart or beyond."
The right-arm seamer played only the pink ball Test, managing only two wickets.
Australia win the third Test and retain the Ashes.
Scorecard: ms.spr.ly/6012ZZQUA
#Ashes | #AUSvENG https://t.co/hExjpxHMrw
Experts feel he should have played in the first and third Test in Brisbane and Melbourne as well.