Don’t stop our football, say England’s Stuart Broad

ENGLAND’S Test cricketers intend to carry on playing football as part of their early morning warm-up routines, despite the practice coming under review from new director of cricket Ashley Giles.

Fears of a repeat of the sidelining of Jonny Bairstow at the start of the Sri Lanka tour due to ankle ligament damage will see Giles address the subject with coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Joe Root.

However, Stuart Broad argued the case for the retention of the daily kickabout, having analysed its positives during his decade as an international.

‘We’ve not been told anything on that front. The football and goalkeeping gloves were ordered from New Balance and came with us in the bag,’ the fast bowler said, as the squad settled in Barbados ahead of the West Indies series.

‘We are expecting to be warming up playing football because it’s been so successful for us as a team-building exercise, a fun thing, integrating players and making people feel at home quickly.

‘If two new players come into the squad they’re immediately the football captains and they are made to feel a part of things. We are very sensible about where we play. For example, in Sri Lanka we didn’t play a lot because it was so hot and we didn’t want to wear ourselves out pre-game. If players keep to the no-tackling guidelines, it’s fine.’

Of Bairstow’s accident, Broad added: ‘Rumours that Jonny injured his ankle playing football are rubbish. It was in the football warm-up but he tripped over himself 30 yards away from the ball. He could have done that anywhere in the world.’

Meanwhile, Jofra Archer has the backing of Giles as he battles to play in the World Cup. Sussex’s Barbados-born all-rounder qualifies at the end of March and Giles said: ‘There are still opportunities and Jofra is an exciting cricketer.’