Nottinghamshire bowler Stuart Broad hopes that England will gain an upper hand from playing in familiar conditions in June’s ICC World Twenty.
Speaking to the ICC about his aspirations for the tournament, co-hosted at Trent Bridge, Lord’s and The Oval, Broad underlined the reasons behind his decision to pass up the opportunity to feature in the Indian Premier League.
“I just feel that at this stage of my career as a 22-year-old, having quite a busy winter with four Tests and five ODIs in the West Indies, I was just going to use that three-week window as a break leading up to what is going to be a massive summer,” he said.
“There’s no doubt that I would like to be involved in the IPL at some but at this moment in time I want those three weeks to rest my body and mind before the summer that includes the World Twenty20 and the Ashes series.
“Twenty20 is really big in England on the domestic side so to be having the World Twenty20 is going to make the crowds even more excitable. Hosting the event is a massive plus for us.
“The crowds in England love it when players hit fours and sixes and I imagine with a tournament like this they’re going to love it even more, I think it’s going to be a really exciting event.”
Broad has taken a total of 13 wickets in the 11 Twenty20 matches he has played for England and was a key figure in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa.
“My main memory of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 was how well run the whole tournament was. There was a real carnival atmosphere, all the time,” he said.
“The dancers were great every time a boundary was hit, the fans were just brilliant and with the loud music too it just made the whole event really fun.
“I remember walking away from that tournament thinking how well the crowds had got involved with the cricket and how much everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.
“For me as a bowler Twenty20 cricket is really helpful and you can pick up a lot of new skills. I’ve found it’s really helped my bowling. You really have to think on your feet with it as it’s such a fast and aggressive form of the sport.”
Broad was the standout bowler in England's crushing defeat in the First Test against West Indies, taking 5-85.