'I get that': Stuart Broad says he understands why India pulled out of Manchester Test
'I get that': Stuart Broad says he understands why India pulled out of Manchester Test
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While the Indian team has come under extreme criticism after refusing to play in the fifth and final Test against England in Manchester after a COVID-19 outbreak in their camp, England senior cricketer Stuart Broad has said he understands why Indian players were uncomfortable taking the field at Old Trafford.
"We have seen the pressures of being away from home for a long period of time most recently with India returning zero positive Covid tests within their group but still feeling anxious enough to not play a Test match. I get that," Broad wrote in his column for Daily Mail.
"I am certainly not going to preach that what they did was wrong because I remember how I felt for the last Test match in Ahmedabad, having been locked away for 10 weeks in hotel rooms.
"We'd not seen other human beings, been kept away from our families, had slow wi-fi and couldn't even stream Netflix.
"By the end of it we were worn down and the thought of then potentially catching the virus during those final few days of the tour — and having to spend another fortnight locked away — made me feel quite unstable."
Meanwhile, there have been reports that top English players could boycott Ashes that will start in December this year if strict lockdown quarantine rules continue to be in place in Australia.
"If you ask me if I would be happy to get on a plane to Australia in November, I would say yes," Broad wrote. "I am working tirelessly to get there. I don't feel there will be a postponement. In my mind, it is 100 percent clear that an England team of some description will embark on the tour."
He, however, hoped for "less restrictive" COVID-19 protocols in Australia.
