Stuart Broad - I would be happy to get on a plane to Australia, but need more clarity from Australia

England pacer Stuart Broad confirms that he's willing to travel to Australia for the Ashes 2021 if he stays fit. The 35-year-old also urged the England & Wales Cricket Board to arrange and negotiate everything properly so that the team gets the best chances to be mentally prepared to compete in the Ashes.

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Stuart Broad is recovering from his calf injury and is also pretty excited for the Ashes. He said in his mail on Sunday column, "If you ask me if I would be happy to get on a plane to Australia in November, I would say yes. 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. It is now just a couple of weeks away from a squad being selected but players can't sign up to something unless they know what they are signing up for."

Stuart also mentioned that English cricketers are waiting for details about the Covid-19 restrictions and protocols that they will need to follow in Australia. Reports also suggest that a few England cricketers will withdraw from the tour due to their own safety and personal reasons.

The Ashes will commence on December 8 in Brisbane. Both the boards ECB and CA and relentlessly working to make arrangements for the 2-month trip keeping Covid and quarantine in mind.

What Broad had to say about the arrangements of Ashes?

Broad added, "The ECB have tried to keep us as informed as possible with the information that they are getting from Cricket Australia. It's just that minimal detail has been available. I don't think anyone can say hand on heart that we won't be living in a bubble out there and that will be extremely challenging."

He also added, "With the situation, Australia is in -- with their own citizens struggling to get into the country -- I am not thinking we will just be able to fly in with no quarantining, as if we are living a normal life, because the world is not a normal place at the moment. We need to be in a situation where we are allowed to train for between two and three hours a day. An international bowler rarely goes two weeks in a year without bowling."

"My message to our bosses at the ECB is simple: Give us the best possible chance to be mentally strong come January with the environment that is created. Let's try to make it as comfortable as possible for us because if you go somewhere like Australia and have to bunker down, you won't enjoy being in one of the greatest places on earth - and aren't going to win at cricket either."