Ace English pacer Stuart Broad said that he is looking forward to gaining some inside knowledge on Australia batters from their fast bowling consultant Troy Cooley.
The much-anticipated Test series between Australia and England is just a few days away from now. The Ashes 2021-22 will kick start on 8th December at the Gabba followed by the second Test match at Adelaide, Oval on 16th December.
The third and fourth Test match will be played on 26th December and 5th January at MCG and SCG respectively. The fifth and final Test match of the Ashes will take place on 14th January at Perth Stadium.
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England on Wednesday (24th November) appointed former Australian bowling coach Troy Cooley as pace bowling consultant for their preparation for the Ashes 2021-22. He will work under the direction of elite pace bowling coach Jon Lewis.
Troy Cooley, who was England's bowling coach during their epic Ashes 2005 win, will then assist the seamers in England's second-string Lions squad when they face Australia A in a four-day match that starts on December 9.
While talking about working with Troy Cooley, English pacer Stuart Broad said that he’s looking forward to picking the former’s brain on Australian conditions and Australian players.
“(Cooley) arrived when we got out of quarantine (on) Saturday, but he's with us for a decent period of time. Really looking forward to picking his brain on Australian conditions, and Australian players, to be honest,” Stuart Broad told cricket.com.au
Broad remarked that Troy Cooley has been in the Australian setup for a long time and he can give his side insight into the mentality of opposition batters.
"He's been in their setup for a long period of time, through development and at the top level. He can give us great insight into Australian batters' mentality.
“What they're looking to do, where they're looking to score, where they don't like the ball, how (we should) be around them - whether you talk to them, whether you ignore them, whether you sledge them...can you annoy them enough to make a mistake,” he said.
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Stuart Broad concluded by saying that even if England pick one percent of Troy’s brain, it’ll be very useful for them as they need stuff like this to win in Australia and need to be at the top of the game all time.
"All this sort of detail, we'll be picking Troy's brain, because anything you can get, even a one-percenter on someone, will be really useful for us. You need all that sort of stuff to win in Australia. You need to be at the top of your game at all times, and find little chinks in the opposition's armoury,” he concluded.
(AFP inputs)
