Stuart Broad says he enjoyed a “dream summer” against David Warner after dismissing him seven times during the drawn Ashes series.
The England seamer removed Warner for three straight ducks across the Headingley and Old Trafford Tests and contributed to the batsman making just 95 runs in five games and only reaching double figures twice.
Broad, 33, revealed that the homework that went in to bowling at Warner made his triumphs against the left-hander even more gratifying, particularly when he castled him at Lord’s.
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“I had done a lot of planning pre-Ashes so to be able to have that sort of success against your opposition means you got something right,” Broad told Sky News. “It was a bit of a dream summer on that front.
“[Warner] is a world-class player and I have played against him for such a long time, so to find something that worked against him this summer gave me quite a bit of professional satisfaction.
“I felt he scored too much through the off side against me so I just wanted to hit his stumps a lot more. When I got him lbw and bowled those were the ones that pleased me the most because those were the ones I was visualising most pre-game.
“If you get the ball to nip back up the slope at Lord’s it is a bit of luck, a bit of fate but the ball has got to be in the right area to hit the stumps.
“The next day he came up to me and gave me a nudge in the ribs like ‘that was a good one!’
“We have a lot of respect for each other which is nice in professional sport. He will come back strong – he scored a hundred in his first innings back in Australia and I expect him to continue to do that.”
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Broad claimed 23 wickets at 26.65 during the Ashes and has now chalked up 467 wickets in his Test career, placing him seventh on the all-time list.
The next Ashes series takes place in Australia in 2021-22 and Broad has refused to rule out playing in it, saying that he has been inspired by the longevity of new-ball partner James Anderson, 37.
“I’m someone who never really looks too far ahead,” said Broad, who will return to action in England’s two-Test series in New Zealand next month.
“I think if you look towards the end of your career you slow down as a sportsman. You stop trying to improve, stop driving yourself forward.
“I look a month at a time at the moment – I feel fit, I feel fresh, my fitness testing is as strong as it has ever been, which is a good sign. That old saying is that age is just a number and I feel really good.
“Jimmy is an inspiration for me – he is 37, he is in physically great condition and he has bowled the best he has bowled over the last three years of his whole career.
“Why can’t I do that? Why can’t I play to that sort of age and keep improving? That’s got to be my driver, the thing that pushes me on.”
I’m lucky to have been part of probably the biggest summer of English cricket since 2005. Some moments we will remember for the rest of our lives. Winning the World Cup and drawing an Ashes series is probably a fair and great result
Stuart Broad
Broad starred without Anderson during this summer’s Ashes, with the latter bowling only four overs in the opening Test at Edgbaston before suffering a calf injury that ruled him out of the rest of the series and has forced him to miss the upcoming New Zealand tour.
Broad says he hated seeing Anderson on the sidelines but admits he enjoyed becoming the leader of the attack in a series that “brings the best out of him”.
“It certainly wasn’t good for me that one of my best mates gets injured after four overs in a series that he has dreamt about playing in for the last couple of years,” added the paceman.
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“I certainly felt an added responsibility and that creates opportunities – every time someone gets injured in sport there is an opportunity for someone else.
“I had to step up a little bit with our best bowler not being there and I do thrive off a bit of extra responsibility.
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