Two of the finest seamers England have produced, James Anderson and Stuart Broad have done wonders in the Test format. But, as experienced as they are, they don’t feature for England on a regular basis. But, when it came to deciding the team composition for the first Ashes Test against Australia, England skipper Ben Stokes knew he had to pick Broad, because of the ‘history’. When asked about Broad’s selection, Stokes explained the decision to pick the veteran pacer, citing the example of India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
When asked if that was a factor in Broad’s selection, Stokes was absolutely honest as he said: “I’d be lying if I said no.”
“It’s just one of those things – like Ashwin against me. ‘Broady’ has been an unbelievable performer over many years,” Stokes said, as per cricket.com.au.
When it comes to Broad vs Warner duels, the England pacer has tormented the Australian opener for years. In 26 matches, Broad has picked up Warner’s wicket 14 times. In the 2019 Ashes, Broad has dismissed the Southpaw 7 times in 5 matches.
Stokes also spoke of struggling to look past Anderson as well, who also has a great record in the Ashes.
“What the Ashes brings, it’s so hard to look past someone like that. It’s so hard to look past Jimmy and ‘Robbo’ as well, he’s been incredible over the last year in all conditions. I’m very happy with the team we’ve ended up picking,” Stokes explained
Australia skipper Pat Cummins also spoke of the Warner vs Broad battle.
“I’m sure he’s thought about it a lot over the last couple of years hoping to get another crack at it,” said Australia’s captain Pat Cummins.
“Davey will have all his plans in place. I’m sure you’ll see a bit more of an aggressive Davey than what you saw in 2019 and he’s itching to get out there and have another chance at it,” said the Aussie pacer.
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