The comment from Stokes came ahead of the start of Ashes 2023 which will kick off from June 16 at Edgbaston. Broad, the pacer with second-highest wickets in Test cricket history, had claimed that England players could not train and were confined to their rooms.
“Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series. But in my mind, I don’t class that as a real Ashes,’ Broad told the Daily Mail last month
“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.”
The comment has not gone down well with a host of Australia players. Starc, who will soon be seen playing in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India in London, is the latest to react and refute Broad’s claim.
The left-arm pacer said English cricketers had the luxury to train at the gym, play golf, enjoy the pool and stay with their families at a resort on the Gold Coast.
“The funniest thing out of that was they called it quarantine on the Gold Coast. I did seven of them. That was the easiest by a country mile,” Starc was quoted as saying to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“The Poms had the pool, the gym, they were in a resort on the Gold Coast, they trained at Metricon (now Heritage Bank Stadium), weren’t confined to their rooms and had their families there,” he stated.
“Was that really quarantine? They were still allowed to play golf on tour. Is that an excuse for 4-0? Dunno. It was a pretty good series to be a part of,” Starc added.
With the pre-Ashes banter on already, fans are eagerly waiting for a riveting contest between the two sides.
