Stuart Broad expects Australian sledging
England fast bowler Stuart Broad says he expects sledging from the Australian team, public and media throughout the time England is on tour in the country.
England go to Australia with many pundits tipping Andrew Strauss' side with the best chance of winning in Australia since the 1986/87 series. Broad says he is fully expecting all of the famous Aussie tricks
to be tried at some point in the series.
England was battered 5-0 in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 during the 2006/07 series and Broad says that the team is preparing well and is ready for a tough series against a hard and resilient team.
Sledging can be a double edged sword and work in a number of ways. On the one hand it can be positive and motivate England but on the other hand it can be one of the reasons the side plays poorly.
A positive effect
Broad is confident that any sledging from any part of the Australian team or support will have a positive effect on the team. Sometimes verbal abuse can make players much more determined to succeed.
In Broad's case it could well fire him up and cause him to bowl a few miles per hour quicker. Broad is not the sort of bowler who lets a verbal fight go by without getting involved. He'll be in the centre
of the action one way or another.
Any negative press news stories or features can be used by the England team. There will be some articles that completely degrade England. The coaching staff can cut these out and stick them on the dressing
room wall to fire up every player in the team.
"I'd expect the Aussies to get under each of our players' skin, but it's not something we're scared of, it's something we're going to thrive
on. I'm certainly coming here without any fear and just looking to enjoy the experience.
It's good we've had some players who have been here before to share their experiences and communicate with the boys," said Broad.
A negative effect
Sledging can have a negative effect on players because it has the ability to put people on edge and make them a little nervous. There will
be a lot of nerves during the first Test match at Brisbane on 25 November so it's important England stays on top of this part of the game.
There are going to be players that start to feel a little bit homesick at some point during the series. England is away from home for a
long time and if there are any questions over the mentality of a player then sledging can expose this.
"Australia are one of the best teams in the world and we
as an England team want to become the best team in the world. So you can only do that by coming here and performing strongly.
I know I bowl at my best when I'm in a bit of a bubble and emotionally competitive. But obviously I need to find the right balance to that," he added.
Betting advice
Broad is one of the England players that thrives on being annoyed and fired up through one reason or another. Any sledging during the series
should wash over the experience within the England team.
There is no reason to change regular betting patterns with this England team. Broad is a fantastic bet to take five wickets in any innings
during the Ashes Test series.
Watch carefully and if there are any signs that any player is crumbling in to the verbal abuse then back off from laying bets on that individual.
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