England 'quietly confident' heading into Ashes series, says Wood
'Were there thoughts of retirement going round my head? One hundred per cent. Because I was so down'
Following criticism from India captain Shubman Gill and former England pacer Stuart Broad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will collect as many used balls as possible and return them to the company that manufactures Dukes balls by the end of the week.
'But I think that the manner in which they play is part of the reason why I think they've got their best chance in 15 years of regaining the Ashes Down Under, because in 2010-11 when we went down there and won, we pushed back against Australia.'
England fast bowler Stuart Broad has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee for publicly criticising an umpiring decision during the ongoing fourth Test against Pakistan, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Sunday.
England paceman Stuart Broad is aiming to recover from an ankle injury in time to play domestic first-class cricket for his county Nottinghamshire later this month, days before the first Test against India.
Test captain Ben Stokes said on Tuesday as he looks to wipe the slate clean and start afresh.
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
As England and India gear up for the final showdown in the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, former England speedster Stuart Broad feels the hosts should make some changes to their Playing XI and rest tearaway Jofra Archer.
Now that he is back among the runs and wickets, Stuart Broad tells Bikash Mohapatra he will not hesitate to 'rough up batsmen if the team wants him to'.
England paceman Stuart Broad believes his new ball partnership with James Anderson has improved a lot in the last two years with their perfect understanding of each other's role. Anderson and Broad shared 15 of the 20 Sri Lankan wickets to fall at Headingley where the hosts thumped Sri Lanka by an innings and 88 runs in the first test. "We've actually improved in the last couple of years," Broad, who turns 30 next month, told British media. "We've always been quite good in communicating, but we've taken that to a new level, realising when one of us in on a wicket-taking streak, the other one can apply pressure and not get too greedy, and vice versa."
England quick Stuart Broad reckons his total domination of Australia opener David Warner in last year's Ashes series was down to his strategy of denying the batsman any width to play his fierce cut shots and square drives. Broad dismissed Warner seven times in 10 innings as the subdued left-hander finished the drawn series with only 95 runs.
Images from Day 2 of the third and final Test between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday.
Stuart was docked 15 per cent of his match fees and a third demerit point was added to his disciplinary record - a punishment made on the recommendation of Broad senior for using inappropriate language against Pakistan's player Yasir Shah during the first Test in Manchester.
Stuart Broad's five-wicket burst after David Warner's counter-punched put England in sight of victory on the fourth day of the fourth Ashes Test against Australia in County Durham on Monday.
However, with six back-to-back Tests against the Windies and Pakistan, the rotation policy could be used to keep the paces fresh.
Ganguly said he would have preferred Arshdeep over Prasidh Krishna.
The days of James Anderson and Stuart Broad spearheading England's fast bowling attack are over, according to former captain Michael Vaughan.
Stuart Broad started the third Test against South Africa feeling unwell but finished it on an incredible high after grabbing six wickets to spur England to a series victory on Saturday.
England Twenty20 cricket team captain had tweeted that he heard that if one earns a minimum wage in England he is among the top 10 percent earners in the world.
Broad has prior experience of captaining England, in 27 T20 internationals and three ODIs, between 2011 and 2014.
'No, I can't pretend I am as good as gold, because I am not. It would be wrong to act like everything's OK.'
England seamer Stuart Broad doubted whether Australia's travel and quarantine restrictions would lead to a postponement of the end-of-year Ashes series but he said players would want to be promised the best possible environment for the tour.
Stuart Broad scored the joint third fastest Test 50 for England off just 33 balls as he helped England to fight back
'Ultimately, (Australia captain) Pat Cummins is a really great guy and I would be amazed, once the emotion settles, if he does not sit back and think, 'I got that one wrong', even though his bottom line at the time was winning a Test match.'
England's Stuart Broad was taken to hospital for a scan on an injured foot during the third day of the third Ashes Test on Sunday in a further blow to the struggling tourists.
It will be Anderson's 10th Ashes campaign and Broad said he was still champing at the bit to get going.
England's decision to go with James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood for the first Test in Southampton snapped Stuart Broad's run of 51 consecutive home Tests.
England, who are lagging 0-2 in the five-match series, left out Broad along with three others for the Boxing Day Test, which began in Melbourne on Sunday.
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
England have not won an Ashes Test match in Australia for nearly 15 years but their batting firepower could prove decisive in the series starting in Perth next month, according to former captain Alastair Cook.
Nasser Hussain reckons James Anderson will pip Stuart Broad for a place in the 2nd Test starting on Thursday in Adelaide.
'...he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly.'
Commenting on the batsman who troubled them most, both named former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.
Former captain Nasser Hussain criticised the slow over rate in the third Test between India and England at Lord's.
He will become the seventh bowler overall and only the second England bowler, after James Anderson, to reach the landmark figure.
While former Australian opener Matthew Hayden reckons series will go India's way, two former India players believe otherwise.
Royal Challengers Bangalore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said he felt like Stuart Broad when Mumbai Indians veteran swashbuckler Yuvraj Singh smashed three sixes in one of his overs.
The 21-year-old came up with a fine all-round performance to help England beat India by three wickets in the fourth ODI.
