LONDON: Former England pacer Stuart Broad admitted regret over calling Pakistan a poor side before the start of the three-match Test series.
Broad described Pakistan as the weaker side and said the hosts would suffer a huge failure if they did not win the series.
“Pakistan are a weaker side. There is no doubting that. They are a very poor side. If England don’t come away with a Test series win, it really is a huge failure for them,” Broad said.
“You would imagine, and you would think that England should win 3-0 and pretty comfortably,” Broad opined.
Speaking on the ‘For the Love of Cricket’ podcast, Broad disclosed that he had received feedback on social platforms from Pakistan.
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“I said before the series that I felt Pakistan were a poor side, and I got a lot of messages and notes on social media from Pakistan. It showed me how much passion, love, and drive there still is for Pakistan cricket,” Broad said.
He hailed Pakistan’s talent with the bat and ball, noting that the country has immense cricketing talent.
“There’s so much passion for the game in that country, and there’s talent there. They have bowlers who bowl at 140 clicks and batters who can hit the ball,” he added.
Broad lamented his earlier remarks about the Pakistan team and noted the frequent changes in management.
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“I actually regret saying they were a poor side because I feel that blamed the players. Now that I’ve seen them operate in two Test matches, I can quite clearly see that it’s the hierarchy, the selection and the changes in coaching that are the issues,” he concluded.
England have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead over Pakistan. The third and last Test will be played on 9 September at Edgbaston.