"There will be no excuses when it comes to results from the India series onwards"- Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad has stated there will be no excuses when England face off against India in the five-match Test series later this year in August. Broad highlighted how 'due to schedules, Covid and bubbles', they put up a weakened side against New Zealand, which led to their first Test series loss at home in seven years.
With three mega-events coming up- 5 match Test series against India, the T20 World Cup and the Ashes - Stuart Broad justified the team management's decision to rest some key players like Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali & Jonny Bairstow. However, Broad was quick to add that there will be no room for excuses when they face off against India later.
"It’s heartbreaking to lose a first home Test series in seven years but let’s be realistic — due to schedules, Covid and bubbles, we were a weakened side. We will want our full-strength team on the field against India, in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes. If we had our top team against New Zealand, where would we have given players a break? However, there will be no excuses when it comes to results from the India series onwards," Broad wrote in his column in The Daily Mail.
India last toured England for a test series in 2018, where the hosts emerged victorious comfortably by a margin of 4-1. The Men in Blue have taken giant strides since then in the longest format, and many expect them to give the English side a tougher challenge this time around.
"Had sympathy for some of the batsmen when their techniques were being dissected" - Stuart Broad
England's batting order came under scrutiny for the way they surrendered against New Zealand at Edgbaston in the second Test. Various experts were baffled by the techniques of some of England's batsmen.
Stuart Broad stated that he had sympathy for some of his teammates but added that living with such criticism is part and parcel of cricket at the top level.
"I had sympathy for some of the batsmen when their techniques were being dissected but at the top level you also deserve criticism at times. We drove at balls we didn’t need to drive at, were dismissed in ways that New Zealand planned to dismiss us — falling into traps is actually the most disappointing thing in Test cricket for a batsman," Stuart Broad added.
Before the Test series against India, the Three Lions will play a 3 match T20I and as many ODIs against Sri Lanka starting on June 23.