England pace bowler Stuart Broad has said that it is important for their team to win the back-to-back Ashes series this year seeing that England has not won four back-to-back Ashes in 120 years, adding that they have a big chance this year to make history.
Broad's fitness and form will be central to England's hopes against New Zealand and Australia as well as in the last edition of the eight-nation ICC Champions Trophy, the Guardian reports.
Confident of a success at this year's Ashes series also, Broad said that he hoped that the weather during the series remained favourable, adding that such things are necessary in their way to make history by making a quartet of Ashes wins since the last decade.
Stating that he played mock Ashes games as a boy, Broad said that instead of English legends, he used to impersonate Australian greats like Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne as they were one of the best and the successful Ashes team in a decade, adding that a number of his favourite cricketers were Australian.
Praising Ed Cowan, Broad, who has shared the dressing room at Nottinghamshire with the Australian opener, said that Cowan is one of the best people he has ever met, adding that he has found out about Cowan's prowess while bowling at the nets during county games.
According to Broad, it would be a mistake to overlook Australia despite their poor show this season, as along with captain Michael Clarke, who is one of the best batsmen in the world, the team has a battery of good fast bowlers for which it would be a close fight between the two rivals for the urn.
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Although England has never won a major 50-over tournament, however Broad is confident of changing that fact, saying that he cannot remember the last time the team lost a one-day series in England and adding that they have a good chance of winning the Ashes this year.
Meanwhile, Broad said that he does not prefer draconian censorship in English cricket as it would cause negative publicity for the game.