'Gabba holds the key to the Ashes' - Stuart Broad emphasizes the need for England to 'start well' against Australia

Veteran England pacer Stuart Broad feels that the team must focus on performing in the upcoming Ashes series and not the off-field issues around it. The high-octane series has been in the news owing to the constant negotiations between England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) over the strict quarantine protocols Down Under.

The series will kickstart in Brisbane on December 8, a venue that was termed host Australia’s fortress until as recently as December last year, before a bruised India registered a victory for the ages to not only end their three-decade-old no-loss streak but also clinch the coveted Border-Gavaskar series 2-1.

However, Australia’s Ashes record at the venue remains intact. “We need our sole focus to be exceptional for Brisbane. The Gabba holds the key to the series because they’ve got a good record there,” Broad was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“Admittedly they lost to India, but we need to start the series well, and make sure that we’re 100% on the money at Brisbane, because we can put this Australia team under pressure on the field, and off the field if we do our job really well to start. We’ll be very well prepared for that,” he said.

Stuart Broad reveals the success mantra in Australia

Broad, who missed the larger part of the home series against India this year after a calf injury, said that the break allowed him to freshen up mentally. “The Aussies haven’t played for a great deal of time, a lot of our guys are playing T20 cricket, some guys haven’t played since September, so I don’t feel like I’m behind the eight-ball at all. I actually feel like I’m approaching the series mentally fresh, and ready to hit the ground running.”

“The rehab team at the ECB have been great, and got me back feeling really strong and fit,” he added. “I knew it was a bad calf tear but it was a clean one.”

Speaking about the approach of England bowlers against Australia in their backyard, Broad emphasized that only relying on pace will not get success.

“We often talk in England about express pace, but that’s not what I’m seeing,” Broad said. “It’s about the relentlessness with the ball, being McGrath-like … not bowling bad balls and releasing the pressure. Kyle Abbott and [Vernon] Philander have brilliant records there by bringing the stumps into play, and as a whole bowling unit, repeating it and repeating it for long periods of time. That’s how you get success in Australia.”