Stuart Broad: 'England Can Win the World Cup...It Really Is Do-Able'
On the eve of the eleventh ICC Cricket World Cup the England bowler Stuart Broad talks about why he believes England could finally win the tournament this year:
What does the World Cup mean to an England player?
My earliest memory of watching cricket is when England got to the World Cup final in Australia in 1992. I remember every team had those kits with the stripes across them. I was fascinated by it all, and from that moment I have always wanted to win the World Cup.
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I do know that for an England cricketer, the World Cup is different to football and rugby, and an Ashes Test series is probably the pinnacle. However, this is a huge tournament, and England have never won a 50-overs tournament. To be honest, since 1992 we have been pretty awful at World Cups, and we are so keen to end that run.
What would it mean to you to win the World Cup?
It is a huge goal of mine; I really want to do it. It is genuinely exciting; just imagine winning a World Cup in Australia. I have won the Ashes three times, and the Twenty 20 World Cup, so the World Cup is the one that is missing. It would be very, very special to win the World Cup in front of a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground. That is the stuff of dreams, isn’t it? Just imagine that.
How do you rate England’s chances at the World Cup?
Something is going to have to go horribly wrong for us not to get through to the quarter-finals, and then it is up to whoever can win three games in a row. We can do that, it is a straight shootout, and we can easily win three games in a row. There is no one we can’t beat. We’ve beaten them all already.
Yes, we’re underdogs, but we are completely comfortable with that. We are not coming off an Ashes series this time; the schedule has been moved around to help us, so I hope we can take advantage of that. There are no strong favourites, no one who is going to turn up and trounce everyone.
What gives you the most optimism about England succeeding at the World Cup?
We can win the World Cup. It really is do-able. If we play good cricket over five weeks we’re in the history books. In Test cricket you need about eight players to perform to win a Test, but in one-day cricket if four or five of us fire, you are likely to win. We can do that. If just two of our batsman score runs that could take us a long way.
How would you assess England’s One-Day batting line-up?
I am really encouraged by the freedom of our young batsman. Just look at how well Moeen Ali has settled in to one-day cricket, and he got that great century in Sri Lanka. He could set the tournament alight.
Rooty [Joe Root] is in great form as well; he has three one-day hundreds now and was brilliant in Sri Lanka. Rooty can lay the foundation for our hitters to play around. Rooty and James Taylor can be steady, while Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Alex Hales can slap it around more.
Who can be England’s star at the tournament?
Eoin Morgan is due a big tournament; he could be brilliant for England. Jos Buttler could really capture the imagination as well. I think the Australian wickets are perfect for them as they play the short ball really well.
As a bowling attack, how will you approach the World Cup?
You need wicket-takers in Australia, and we have that. In Australia you have to hit the deck hard and produce a few bouncers, and at the death you have to vary your deliveries, particularly your yorkers. I don’t think spin will be overly important at the World Cup. You look at the way Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle bowl in Australia, and that is a guide for us in this World Cup.
What do you expect of the pitches in Australia and New Zealand?
I really enjoy the conditions there and getting that extra bounce, which I enjoyed in both the 2010/11 and 2013/14 Ashes series. Hopefully I can make the most of it again.
Who will be England’s main rivals at the World Cup?
This World Cup is unpredictable. There are no dead certs, no big favourites. It is wide-open for any of us to go and win it. I know Australia will fancy their chances playing in their own backyard and in front of their own fans, but last time it was there, Pakistan won it. You really do never know.
Are the bookmakers right to make Australia favourites?
They are a strong, strong side and will relish playing at home. Look at the opening pair of David Warner and Aaron Finch, who score quickly and get each innings off to a great start. I think they are both in the top 10 for the best strike rates.
Then they have Mitchell Johnson trying to knock you over. I love to watch Australian cricket and love the way they approach the game. But I have to stress they are beatable. We beat them 4-0 in 2012. And maybe at the end of a long summer they could be really tired as well.
Which other nation could go far at the World Cup?
Sri Lanka will do well, just look at how well they played against England last year. I think Mahela Jayawardene has played more one-day games than the entire England side put together, he has incredible experience. Then there’s Kumar Sangakkara as well. But I really think no expert could predict the final.
A year ago you were the pantomime villain in Australia during the Ashes series. Are you ready for more of the same, or do you think it will have been forgotten now?
I will get the same treatment, it won’t be forgotten. But it’s good fun, I genuinely enjoy it, it is just banter. It is not a personal attack on me the person but rather on me the sportsman. I don’t mind it too much, I coped with it fine last time, and it can actually motivate me as well. I love playing in Australia; it suits my attacking style of play and being aggressive. I am prepared for it again.
What can England learn from winning the Twenty 20 World Cup in 2010?
We bowled really well as a unit, we knew our plans and stuck to them. Our fielding was really good in that tournament too, so we need to reproduce that. I can remember we ran out David Warner in the final against Australia.
With great fielding you will win a lot of games. Look at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, we started OK and then picked up momentum and got to the final, beating South Africa in the semi-final. How we didn’t win the final, I’ll never know!
Is the secret to success playing without any fear?
I wouldn’t talk about it in terms of fear but rather playing positive cricket at all times. When you’re batting or bowling you have to look to take the positive option. You can’t get too bogged down in technique but rather just go for your shots. Look at David Warner, if he was English we would be questioning his technique, but he just gives the ball a whack and is very successful.
You will be away from home for 321 nights in 2015. Does that fill you with excitement or dread?
It fills me with a lot of excitement. This year is going to be very busy, but I am going to relish it. There is so much to look forward to, including the World Cup and the Ashes. This is the dream, and I’m very lucky to be playing for England. We have short careers, so you have to embrace it and just enjoy it. This is a new era for English cricket, and there is so much to look forward to.
All quotes obtained firsthand
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