Ace English pacer Stuart Broad said that there will be no excuses for results beginning from the upcoming five-match Test series between England and India which begins in August.
England suffered a humiliating Test series defeat against New Zealand. After the first Test match ending up as a draw, the home side put up a disappointing performance in the second Test match as they suffered an 8-wicket loss which resulted in their first Test series loss at home since 2014.
England's batting came under scrutiny after they lost 7 wickets in one session in the Edgbaston Test. Many fans and pundits expressed concerns and were baffled by their batting performance, as the top order, barring Rory Burns completely failed to come good.
The Joe Root-led side, however, has a massive challenge ahead of them as they will lock horns against Team India in a five-Test series and would be hoping to sort their batting woes.
Writing in his segment for Daily Mail, Stuart Broad admitted that it was heartbreaking for them to lose their first Test match at home after seven years and revealed that due to schedules, Covid and bubbles', they put up a weakened side against New Zealand.
He, however, added that there will be no room for excuses when it came to results when they face off against India later.
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"It’s heartbreaking to lose a first home Test series in seven years but let’s be realistic due to schedules, Covid and bubbles, we were a weakened side. We will want our full-strength team on the field against India, in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes.
“If we had our top team against New Zealand, where would we have given players a break? However, there will be no excuses when it comes to results from the India series onwards,” Stuart Broad wrote in his segment for Daily Mail.
Stuart Broad further said that he had sympathy for some of his teammates but added that living with such criticism is part and parcel of cricket at the top level. He added that falling into traps is the ‘most disappointing thing’ in Test cricket for any batsman.
"I had sympathy for some of the batsmen when their techniques were being dissected but at the top level, you also deserve criticism at times. We drove at balls we didn’t need to drive at, were dismissed in ways that New Zealand planned to dismiss us — falling into traps is actually the most disappointing thing in Test cricket for a batsman,” he said.
The first Test between England and India will begin on August 4.
(The Daily Mail inputs)
