Stuart Broad open to winter tour after success of bio-secure bubble

The seamer, who took his 500th Test wicket against West Indies, added that England’s players were “very aware” that pay cuts would be likely, given the financial impact of the pandemic

Stuart Broad has confirmed that he “wouldn’t have concerns about going away to a bio-secure bubble” over the winter after witnessing the way in which the meticulously planned system helped to save England’s international summer.

Broad took his 500th Test wicket during an unusual season, which began in July against West Indies – months after England returned early from a planned tour of Sri Lanka in March as a result of the global coronavirus outbreak.

“We’ve had teams fly over and come into our bubble and seems to have worked really well,” Broad said, “so if the likes of the IPL continue to work, I don’t see a reason why we can’t do these bio-secure bubbles all around the world to get cricket on the screens.

“I don’t know about fans being in the ground but I personally would be happy to go to anywhere as long as it was a bio-secure, safe environment to play some cricket because it gave everyone a boost this summer.

“It felt safe and I know Tom Harrison and Ashley Giles at the ECB who control these things would never do anything to put the players or support staff in harm’s way.

“So, if we got the go-ahead from the ECB, which I hope we do because I’m desperate to play some cricket this winter, I’m sure the players would be fully supportive of that.”

^{Broad dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite to give him his 500th Test wicket}

He added that England’s players were “very aware” that pay cuts would be likely, given the financial impact of the pandemic. In September, the national governing body confirmed 62 redundancies among its staff, as well as a possible £200m deficit.

“The players are very aware of the situation and it's only right that with the ECB having to potentially lose 60-odd staff, it would be wrong that the players stay on a similar pay,” he said. “I think we do need to make cuts as set out by the ECB. I've not heard any official sort of numbers.

“I don't think you'll be getting any players complaining about taking more pay cuts because it's sort of in line with the world, isn't it? It would be a really average feeling to have a feeling that we were not making sacrifices like the rest of the world, so I don't think you'll get too many people complaining of whatever comes our way.

“At the end of the day we're just lucky and fortunate that we got some cricket in this summer to get the ECB in a position that it can keep supporting the whole of cricket in the future, because if we hadn't got any cricket this summer, the whole game would have looked a complete mess.

“The players are fully aware of our responsibilities and will be very open to anything the ECB offer.”

Stuart Broad has been named International Men’s Test Player of the Year winner as part of the first NatWest Cricket Awards, which honours both the community cricket club heroes and professional stars of the season in recognition of an extraordinary year for the sport