Stuart Broad has admitted he tried to "pick a fight with a couple of Australians" during the second Ashes Test at Lord's.
Broad and his skipper Ben Stokes shared a memorable 108-run partnership during England's unsuccessful run chase at the Home of Cricket, as the latter hit a stunning 155 to take the match to the wire. The Aussies ultimately won by 43 runs.
England fought back to win the most recent Ashes Test at Headingley, with Australia leading the series 2-1 heading into the final two matches at Old Trafford and The Oval. Stokes and his players need to win both of those Tests to regain the urn.
Four-time Ashes winner Broad is enjoying another fabulous series with the ball. He's taken the most wickets in the series (16) and will be hoping to be selected for the next Test at Old Trafford in eight days' time. He is included in England's 14-man squad.
Broad spoke to Sky Sports on Tuesday about his memorable partnership with Stokes. "Sometimes I just like to get in a little battle for myself," he said. "I knew that it was such an important moment of that game at Lord's and I needed to make sure I was mentally switched on and able to do a job for Ben Stokes at the other end.
"Part of my strategy was to pick a fight with a couple of Australians so I wouldn't be focusing on too much technique. I would just be focusing on the ball and making sure I could stay there."
The ongoing Ashes series is one of the spiciest in recent memory, with Australia's players clashing with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members at Lord's during the second Test. The unpleasant scenes unfolded after Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal.
Bairstow was stumped from distance by Alex Carey during England's unsuccessful run case at Lord's, but he was only out of his crease because he assumed the ball was dead. Many fans have accused Australia skipper Pat Cummins of ignoring the spirit of cricket.
Stokes said he wouldn't want to "win a game in the matter", while England coach Brendon McCullum admitted: "I can't imagine we'll be having a beer anytime soon."
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Broad came in for Bairstow following his dismissal and made his feelings known by telling Carey: "You'll forever be remembered for that." Despite this, Broad has played down the animosity between the two teams.
He added: "Part of Ashes cricket is the rivalry and the history of it. It's very much a great battle out there and both teams have been really stuck in this series. A lot of the players know each other very well, there's a lot of talking and smiles.
"We eat lunch in the same room, it's not as if there's a huge battle going on off the pitch. It's just you're playing for your country, I'd expect nothing less than showing a huge amount of passion and pride."
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