The Ashes seems to have taken a turn for the good for the
Three Lions as there was a lot of positives for the English side despite
failure to break their duck in the series. Not only was Alastair Cook
spectacular, Stuart Broad was also at his best with both the bat and the bowl.
Prior to that game, however, the pacer was critcised for his
poor performances, with legendary players like Michael Vaughan stating their
displeasure over the erratic nature of his bowling. However, Broad, writing in
his column for the Daily Mail, claims that he is cool with it and holds no
grudges against them because it’s a part of their “job.”
"It was very satisfying, with five wickets and a 50 in
this game, to show I can still perform at this level. I know I was criticised
in the build-up by some ex-players but I've stayed away from that," he
said.
"I don't take it personally. It's part of the game. For
instance, I've heard Michael Vaughan said a few things but he was one of the
first people to text me to say well done when I took wickets.
"I know he has a job to do in the media and it won't
ever stop me sharing a glass of red with him. I was on holiday with him for a
couple of days before the Perth Test!”
He then stated that the criticism that he received was
deserved because he wasn’t really bowling to his potential.
"The bottom line is much of the criticism of me was
valid."
The 31-year-old then concluded his column by claiming that
there is "no such thing as a dead rubber" while also hoping to
"finish on a high" by winning the final Test and getting one over the
eternal rivals.
The veteran is now at 398 wickets in the longest format of
the game and hopes to hit the landmark of 400 wickets. He also revealed that his New
Year resolution to have a better year than the one he had in 2017—which wasn’t
entirely his best for the Three Lions.
"I'm now only two wickets away from 400 in Tests but I
wish I'd already reached that landmark because that would have meant I'd had a more
productive series.
"But it would be a lovely figure to reach in Sydney and beyond that I'm hoping for a big 2018 because, numbers-wise, this year hasn't been the greatest for me."
Picture credit: Getty Images
