Oz ‘demons’ would not trouble ‘fortunate’ England team: Broad

SYDNEY - England fast bowler Stuart Broad believes that lack of Australian experience for his team is a psychological bonus rather than a hindrance.

England have won only three of the past 26 Ashes Tests contested on Australian soil, and were thrashed 5-0 in the 2006 series.

“We’re quite fortunate in that - the team we’ve got at the moment - seven or eight of us haven’t toured Australia before,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Broad, as saying.

“We’ve got no demons there, so we can just go and enjoy our time and make sure we play good cricket and hopefully win,” he added.

The 24-year-old further said that the England players were bracing themselves up to receive a hostile reception from Australian fans.

“You speak to any ex-England player who’s toured Australia and the first things they will say are about the crowd. At the end of the day, it doesn’t affect where you bowl the ball or where you hit it,” Broad said.

“So, we need to just focus on getting our skills right and performing well, and gaining the opposition fans’ respect. I’ve got a real competitive spirit so playing against a competitive side like Australia really excites me,” he added. (ANI)