‘I don’t class that as a real Ashes’: Broad
Australia were dominant during their home series in 2021-22, registering a 4-0 victory against their arch-rivals. Australia won the matches in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart, with a dramatic draw in Sydney helping England to avoid a 5-0 whitewash.
England's under-performance during the Ashes and the subsequent tour of West Indies had massive ramifications, with sweeping changes across the board following.
Head coach Chris Silverwood was relieved of his duties after the Ashes defeat, while Joe Root stepped down from captaincy after the series defeat in the Caribbean to pave the way for the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum-led era.
The 2020-21 Ashes were played under strict COVID restrictions, which Broad believes played a major role in England's underperformance down under.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Broad stated that such overwhelming factors ensured that the 2021-22 series could not be classified as 'real Ashes'.
Broad said: "Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series. But in my mind, I don't class that as a real Ashes. The definition of Ashes cricket is elite sport with lots of passion and players at the top of their game.
"Nothing about that series was high-level performance because of the Covid restrictions. The training facilities, the travel, not being able to socialise. I've written it off as a void series."
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Broad's comments are sure to fan the competitive tension ahead of the 2023 Ashes series in June-July which England will host, but Broad is confident about his side's chances after their recent form.
England's fortunes in Test cricket have seen a massive upswing since Stokes took over, with the side embracing head coach McCullum's attacking philosophy.
Broad believes England's new approach could potentially lead to Australia deviating from their own gameplan, which could work in the hosts' favour.
"It would be great for us if Australia try to take us on at our own game. If we can get them playing in a slightly different style they could make mistakes and that would be brilliant for us,” Broad added.
"Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja are all guys who like to bat time and accumulate. So if we can nibble away at them and just get them thinking, 'Why are we not scoring quicker? Why are we not moving the game forward?'
"I'd love Smith to dance down the track and sky one to mid-off early doors. That would be classic."
The 2023 Ashes will begin on June 16 in Birmingham and conclude on July 31 at The Oval. The other Tests will be played at Lord's, Leeds and Manchester.
Australia face India prior to the Ashes in the ICC World Test Championship Final at The Oval, starting on June 7.