“But in my mind, I don’t consider that a real Ashes” – Stuart Broad’s bizarre assessment of England’s Ashes 2021 loss to Australia.

There have been a multitude of intense rivalries between England and Australia in The Ashes in the past, as well as some verbal sparring. As the 2023 edition of the coveted draws closer, it appears that the presenters have begun playing mind games. In a similar vein, the legendary English pacer Stuart Broad issued a rather peculiar statement invalidating their 2021 Ashes loss.

Commenting on one of the most devastating defeats of his brief tenure, he cited COVID-19 and its restrictions affecting various aspects of the game off the field. Notably, there were many restrictions on international travel at the time, including a mandatory quarantine period. During this stay, the English team was required to spend fourteen days at a resort and to remain in their cocoon throughout the series.

Despite blaming the coronavirus phase for the loss, Australia defeated England (4-0) with an emphatic victory. During that excursion, Broad appeared dissatisfied with the training facilities and was unable to socialize with others.

Ashes cricket is an elite sport with a great deal of passion and players at the peak of their game. Stuart Broad

Broad continued, discussing the 2021 Ashes, by stating that the coveted series has always been about delivering elite-level performances with pure passion and players being at the pinnacle of their game with both bat and ball.

“Because of the limitations imposed by COVID, nothing about that series exhibited high-level performance. The training facilities, the travel, and the social isolation I’ve deemed it a useless series. Nothing was more difficult than the most recent Ashes series, Broad told the Daily Mail.

“However, in my opinion, that is not an authentic ash. Stuart Broad came to the conclusion that Ashes cricket is a competitive, highly skilled sport.

Intriguingly, with ‘The Ashes’ due to begin on June 16, neither England nor Australia are subject to COVID restrictions, which will make the upcoming Ashes 2023 edition a challenging and intense summer for the English team. Furthermore, if England loses the series at home, Stuart Broad will be unable to declare it invalid.