Stuart Broad insists he’s a changed man and will not be fuelled by rage or by trying to prove a point if he is left out of the side for the first Ashes Test.
Whether he sticks to his zen state in just over a week’s time if he is indeed left out remains to be seen, but it would make a huge change from the way he has reacted recently.
Broad has been axed from the team four times in the last three years, from Barbados to Brisbane, and each time he has been left fuming at the decision before returning with fire in his belly.
Most memorably he gave an incendiary interview at the Ageas Bowl in 2020 where he described himself as ‘frustrated, angry and gutted’ rather than the usual ‘disappointed’ that players come out with. “Disappointed is how you feel when you drop your phone and your screen breaks,” said the roaring lion, as he launched into his tirade.
This time Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes will have a pussycat on their hands if they turn away from the 36-year-old at Edgbaston, which may or may not be a good thing.
“I’ve changed quite a lot I think,” said Broad. “At Brisbane I was raging. So I’ve definitely changed and we won’t be having interviews like the Ageas Bowl.
“Maybe that’ll be the tactic – leave me out at Edgbaston so I fire up at Lord’s. But I’m very comfortable whether I play the first, second, third, fourth or fifth so long as I strike at some stage. I’m just flowing around at the moment. I feel really happy with how my cricket is, how life is, I feel fit, I feel fresh, whether I play at Edgbaston, whether I play Lord’s, Headingley, I don’t mind, I
“I don’t have a clue which way Friday’s selection will go but ultimately I don’t think it matters because we need to take 100 wickets in this series. My aim is to be fit and fresh and playing at the Oval, because that’s the fifth and that means I’ve done my job for the group.
“So ultimately if I only play one game and we lift the urn at the Oval, that’s a massive tick in England cricket’s box. It’s not about me, it’s about the collective.”
With 582 wickets in 162 Tests, Broad is still a handful at the highest level, but if he’s not fired up by the injustices of selection, maybe it will simply be the sight of David Warner at the other end that will get him going, if they both play.
But even the battle with Warner is entering a new phase with the two gladiators now in a contest to see who can shower the most praise on each other.
“He said I was a good bloke! Did you see that?” asked Broad. “I've loved every bit of our rivalry, it's been a great battle. He has been so dangerous against me.”
Stuart Broad helped launch wine merchant Laithwaites’ partnership with England Cricket. For exclusive offers on great wines this summer, visit laithwaites.co.uk
