ENG v WI 2020: Broad admits closed-door cricket will pose "mental test", working with team psychologist

The entire England-West Indies Test series will be played in empty stadiums due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Stuart Broad | AFP England pacer Stuart Broad admitted to feeling concerned how much of a mental challenge cricket behind closed doors will pose for all players this summer. 

In order to tackle the deafening silence at stadiums, Broad is working closely with team psychologist David Young to find a way to treat the first game against West Indies, starting July 8, and all the matches played within the COVID-19 pandemic as he would in normal circumstances. 

Read Also: Alzarri Joseph hopes to make good use of "weaker link" tag in West Indies' attack

"I think the games will feel a bit different with no crowds," said Broad during a virtual press conference from England's bio-secure bubble at the Ageas Bowl. "International cricket certainly will be more of a mental test to make sure each player is right up for the battle, and I'm very aware of that. 

"I've already spoken to our sports psychologist about creating a bit of a mindset around making sure I can get my emotions up to where they need to be for me to be at my best."

"If you put me in an Ashes game or a pre-season friendly, I know which one I'll perform better in. So I've got to make sure my emotions are where they need to be for an international Test match, and that's something I started working on in early June," he added. 

"It's a worry for me, because I know that I perform at my best as a player under pressure, when the game is at its most exciting and when the game needs changing. And I know that there are certain scenarios that bring the worst out of me as a cricketer, and that is when I feel the game is just floating along and there is nothing [riding] on the game."

Broad has historically been at his best when he has been able to feed off the crowd's energy. Aware of which, the 34-year-old is hoping to concentrate solely on individual battles with the batsmen, being in his own bubble, where he can possibly bowl at the kind of intensity he usually does. 

"It might involve doing even more research into the opposition batsmen's strengths and weaknesses so I'm very focused on getting in a competitive battle with the batsman instead of sometimes relying on the crowd to get your emotions going to be able to bowl at your best," he said. 

"I know that I do thrive off the energy of something happening in the game or a bit of excitement going on, or with a big battle going on. Maybe I'll have to pick more of a battle with the opposition and bring my dad [Chris, the match referee] into it a bit more," Broad added. 

After Southampton, teams will move to Manchester for the final two Test matches. The entire series, as well as Pakistan's three-Test and three-T20I in August-September, will be conducted in empty stadiums because of the deadly outbreak. 

Broad said players are feeling safe and have had no concerns over their physical health in the bio-secure environment that has been created. But mentally, there is certain level of distress. 

"We've got to look after each other as players in this environment," he said. "It is different being away from family and friends in the UK. If players go through tricky times while in this bio-secure environment - have a bad spell, have a bad day, have a bad week - you can't escape the cricket at all mentally. If you nick off first ball, you're then eating dinner overlooking the pitch that you've just nicked off on."

"If we get this wrong in these six, seven weeks then we could lose these series against two very good teams. We know the danger of both these teams. It's probably the strongest West Indies side that I would have played against, certainly the bowling attack."

"We've got to make sure we get our bubble right to be able to perform at Test match level because mentally if you switch off at all at this level, it gets you, and we've got to adjust to the conditions we're living in to be able to perform at our best," Broad concluded. 

(Inputs from ESPNcricinfo)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 29 Jun, 2020

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