Stuart Broad expects England to comfortably progress to the last eight of the Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday – because bitter Ashes rivals Australia’s default setting is to rip opponents’ heads off.
Following the biggest win in World Cup history over Oman that swung the Group B advantage back in their favour, England need to beat another minnow nation in Namibia and then hope the Australians keep their part of the bargain by beating Scotland two hours later.
‘In my opinion, Australia will want to win the game because in World Cups it’s important that you continue to play good cricket and keep momentum,’ Broad said.
‘If you get to the stage where you start tinkering, trying to softly manipulate results, you can lose the flow of what you’re trying to do, and that can cost you.
‘That’s just the most un-Australian thing ever. I’ve never been on a cricket field without Australia trying to rip your head off.’
Stuart Broad has insisted it is not in rivals Australia’s nature to manipulate their T20 World Cup game against Scotland
Jos Buttler’s side need to beat Namibia and hope Australia beat Scotland in order to reach the last eight
Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood (centre) had suggested that Australia fabricate a result to knock England out
Prior to the balance of qualification power between England and Scotland switching via an extraordinary 99-ball demolition in Antigua, Josh Hazlewood suggested his team might fabricate a result narrow enough to eliminate Jos Buttler’s men on net run-rate.
Addressing those ‘tongue in cheek’ comments, Broad said: ‘He didn’t say anything that upset me, nothing untoward, out of line or out of order. He just told the truth, ultimately. If England are not in the World Cup, it gives them a better chance of winning it.
‘But just give one thought to the Australian public. If you lose to Scotland, because you’ve taken things lightly, and then you lose again and get knocked out – you’re not going home.’
And Broad, a T20 world champion in the Caribbean 14 years ago, believes England can overcome the early washout to the Scots and loss to Australia to become the first nation to claim three titles.
‘I can definitely see England winning the trophy. It was similar when they won in Australia two years ago, where it was a bit of a slow start with the weather, including a loss to Ireland on Duckworth-Lewis,’ he added.
‘Ultimately at these kind of competitions you to want to be peaking at the end – but you also need to be in them to do so.’
Broad, who co-owns two pubs in the Midlands with his former Nottinghamshire team-mate Harry Gurney, understands the pressures faced by small businesses and is therefore promoting a competition that rewards the unsung local heroes of the economy.
Broad has said he believes his side can recover from their early-tournament struggles to secure a third title
The former England bowler is promoting a competition that rewards the unsung local heroes of the economy
The Sage Small Business XI will see 10 other individuals chosen alongside Broad, with each handed a £5,000 grant to help their business.
‘Being a small business owner myself, I know the important role they play in their local communities, as well as the challenges when trying to thrive in the current economic climate.
‘We want to reward small business owners who will benefit not only from a £5k business grant, but from the valuable resources, expert guidance and access to cutting-edge technology from Sage. I can’t wait to see who gets selected for my Sage Small Business XI over the coming weeks.’
International cricket legend Stuart Broad teamed up with Sage, Official Insights Partner of The Hundred, to launch the Sage Small Business XI competition to champion a range of small businesses and accountants. 10 small businesses across the UK will be rewarded through the scheme with £50,000 of business grants, as well as prizes linked to this summer’s Hundred tournament.
