Broad: UAE tour a ‘really tough challenge’

Cricket365
September 26, 2015

England fast bowler Stuart Broad says the Test side will need to have their wits about them when they go to the UAE to face Pakistan next month, and must not let their guards down after winning the Ashes.

England beat Australia 3-2 in the recent Test series, and while their confidence will be high and they have a relatively settled side, BRoad has cautioned that the change in conditions has proven detrimental in the past.

Broad, when asked how tricky a UAE tour was, told Cricinfo: "Really tough. But we have got guys of experience who have toured there before.

"Myself, Jimmy [Anderson], Belly, Cooky, we know the challenges we'll face there, we know we'll have to spend long times in the field to create pressure to take wickets and bat a long time.

"The biggest skill as an international cricketer is adapting to conditions. Not every wicket you can go out and play hugely positively on.

"I've not played at Sharjah [the venue for the third Test], but the wickets in Dubai and [Abu Dhabi] offered a tiny bit of seam but very slowly so we just bowled really straight.

"But as a batting unit I remember we just got bowled and lbw a huge amount, which is not what you'd expect from world-class players.

"So that's something we'll have to learn from as a batting unit, to make sure we are playing straight, and look to get big runs because that's what will determine the UAE trip, big runs on the board."

Aside from this trip to the UAE, England will go to South Africa at the end of the year, and Broad says they have made winning against the Proteas a key goal for the rest of their season.

He added: "There's a huge goal this winter. I've not been involved in a Test series win against South Africa, and we got beaten heavily in the UAE last time.

"There are a lot of goals and a lot of motivation for a lot of success this winter, and when you have a young squad and guys who are desperate to succeed, you can take the team a long way."