Follow UsEngland bowler Stuart Broad hopes India stars Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli can make Australia toil ahead of the Ashes during this week's World Test Championship final.
The 36-year-old has become a player Australia fans love to hate during a lengthy career that has yielded 582 wickets in 162 Tests. And he caused more ire when he said Australia's 4-0 series win over England in 2021/22 did not count as "a real Ashes" win because Covid-19 restrictions made it void.
Australia now face a packed schedule of six Tests in under eight weeks that promises to test the stamina of their fast bowlers in particular.
India will lock horns against Australia at The Oval on Wednesday, June 7, a week before the five-match series between England and Australia starts at Edgbaston on June 16.
Ahead of the high-voltage clash, Broad was asked about his expectations from the summit clash, and he said, "I don't want to upset any more Aussies!"
"I would like it to be an old school, hard-fought Test match where India do really well, get Pujara booked in nicely, and then Kohli comes in and scores a great hundred."
Despite the hectic schedule, Australia captain Pat Cummins, a 30-year-old fast bowler plagued by injuries earlier in his career, believes he can lead the tourists in all six of their Tests.
"It's a balance. I've been exhausted and depleted before but still got up and felt like I did a really good job, said Cummins, who has taken 217 wickets in 49 Tests.
"I'll be aiming to play all six. There are some good breaks in between every batch of two Test matches here, so it's manageable.
England endured a dismal Ashes in 2021 away from home under Joe Root, where they lost 4-0. However, they rejigged their style of play in the longest format under the astute leadership of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
England adopted an aggressive style of play and recorded 11 wins in 13 matches and will set foot in Birmingham, riding high on confidence.
"We've been part of multiple games that have gone down to the last ball in this last year, in New Zealand went to two in a row, that sort of drama would be unbelievable," Broad said.
Another significant development ahead of the riveting series is the addition of former England coach Andy Flower to the Australian backroom staff, and Broad hopes he doesn't share any secrets with the old enemy.
Flower coached England from 2009-14 and held several other roles before leaving the set-up four years ago. The 55-year-old took the Test team to number one in the world and oversaw three Ashes series wins, including a memorable 2010/11 victory in Australia.
"Andy is someone I learned a lot from early on in my career, and he taught me a lot about how to stand up to the battle of Test match cricket," Broad said.
"Hopefully, he doesn't give away too many secrets! But the game has changed a lot in the last 12 months. I don't think anyone knows any secrets about the way Brendon and Stokesy operate with this team," he concluded.
(With inputs from AFP)