Stuart Broad suspects more injuries owing to packed cricket schedule ahead in 2021
England pacer Stuart Broad, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the five-Test series against India owing to a calf tear, feels that he would not be the only bowler to suffer this fate. Broad highlighted how a jam-packed cricket calendar in 2021 would not allow the players to have any time to rest. And manage the workload.
Broad was a part of the first Test at Trent Bridge, where he went wicketless in the first innings and got a solitary scalp in the second innings as he dismissed KL Rahul. He landed awkwardly on his feet during the practice session ahead of the Lord’s Test, to suffer a grade 3 tear on his right calf, which has ruled him out until the Ashes this year, to be held in Australia.
“I won’t be the last England injury of this series — not with the GPS ‘red zones’ as they are for players right now,” Broad said.
“The difficulty with the 2021 schedule being so white-ball dominant is that bowlers have just not built up overs in the bank. It’s very difficult to play a four or five-day match without some kind of workload behind you. It’s why bowlers do not come back from injury and play straight away. At that point, your body is in what we call the red zone. A point at which you are susceptible to breaking down. It needs to be conditioned to bowling a greater volume of overs over time. Unfortunately, the way the fixtures are there is no way of doing that.”
No reason why I cannot board the plane to Australia in November: Stuart Broad
Speaking about his recent injury, he said: “The one positive I take out of a calf injury ruling me out of the rest of the summer is that I will get the chance to go to Australia in peak physical condition. The Ashes gives me a very strong focus and there is no reason why I cannot board the plane in November the fittest I’ve ever been. I never get a period in which I can just go to the gym, not worry about having to bowl, just train the body. That’s now my aim.”
