England paceman Broad aims to hit the pitch hard to attack Australia

ADELAIDE: England paceman Stuart Broad said he wants to hit the pitch hard and extract extra bounce as he hopes to frustrate the Australia batsmen during the Ashes series which begins this month.

While Broad admitted he bowled “like a drain” in the warm-up match in Perth last weekend, he reckons it helped him adjust his length ahead of the series opener at the Gabba in Brisbane on Nov. 23.

The 31-year-old said his side will have to adapt their strategy appropriately, as they look to avoid a repeat of the 5-0 drubbing they received in the 2013-14 Ashes series in Australia. England then won the next series on home soil in 2015.

“We have to look at what we do best as a group. We’re not going to blast the Australians out. We don’t have a Brett Lee-type bowler who can bowl 95mph reverse-swinging yorkers,” Broad told reporters in Adelaide.

“I like bowling in Australia because it encourages you to hit the pitch hard. If you get a bit of nibble either way you bring the stumps and the edge in.

“We have to adjust our lengths a bit. I tried to bowl a bit too full at the WACA and got belted so I’ve learned that lesson, and bowled that heavy length that gets wickets in Australia.”

Broad added that his fellow bowlers are looking for ways to strain the attacking instincts of the Australian batsmen, which could mean setting up slightly defensive fields.

He hopes to follow in the footsteps of former Australian bowler Glenn McGrath, who enjoyed success on the home soil by holding a tight length for long periods.

“I don’t know if playing on egos is the right way to say it, but if you can cut off a few of their boundaries then you have more chance of them making a mistake,” Broad added.

“Look at the likes of Glenn McGrath and Josh Hazlewood, who just run up and belt length more often than not. Not getting too full.”