'Don't Class That as a Real Ashes...,' Stuart Broad Makes Sour Claims

image-lgyuc3ayAustralia won The Ashes 2021-22 4-0 [Source: Twitter]

Australia demolished England 4-0 in The Ashes 2021-2022 when the Three Lions under Joe Root travelled Down Under in a bid to stake claim to the coveted urn. Now, in sometime, Australia will tour England to defend the urn in The Ashes 2023, with the hosts being under the new Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes regime.

However, pacer Stuart Broad, ahead of the series, claimed that the humbling 0-4 loss should not be considered an Ashes victory by the Australians because it was played under COVID restrictions.

Thanks to a rain-affected Sydney Test, England survived being whitewashed for the third time in 15 years against Pat Cummins and Co.

Broad, speaking to the Daily Mail, explained that England were put under quarantine and had to spend time within a bubble, which was the harshest environment for an Ashes series. 

Here's what Broad said

"Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series. But in my mind I don't class that as a real Ashes. The definition of Ashes cricket is elite sport with lots of passion and players at the top of their game. Nothing about that series was high-level performance because of the Covid restrictions. The training facilities, the travel, not being able to socialise. I've written it off as a void series."

Former England coach Chris Silverwood expressed his views about playing under covid restrictions after he tested positive for the virus during the tour. 

England head into the five-Test series with high hopes, having won 10 out of their last 12 red-ball matches under Stokes and McCullum, who have revitalised their long-format cricket with the 'BazBall' approach. 

Broad, who will once again look to torment Australian batters along with James Anderson, wished that the likes of Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja come hard at the England bowlers, and beat them by playing their own version of BazBall cricket. 

The first Test gets underway at Edgbaston on June 16.