Injured Broad's warning for Aussie quicks on a T20 diet

Injured England quick Stuart Broad is adamant he'll be in peak physical condition for this summer's Ashes series but has sounded a fitness warning that will prick the ears of Australia's fast bowling brigade.

Broad was ruled out of England's ongoing Test series against India, and the remainder of the northern summer, after tearing his calf during a warm-up drill at Lord's last Wednesday.

He warned other England players were in danger of breaking down and said the lack of red-ball preparation before the Test summer would be the chief cause.

"I won't be the last England injury of this series — not with the GPS 'red zones' as they are for players right now," Broad said.

"The difficulty with the 2021 schedule being so white-ball dominant is that bowlers have just not built up overs in the bank.

"It's very difficult to play a four or five-day match without some kind of workload behind you. It's why bowlers do not come back from injury and play straight away.

"At that point, your body is in what we call the red zone. A point at which you are susceptible to breaking down.

"It needs to be conditioned to bowling a greater volume of overs over time. Unfortunately, the way the fixtures are there is no way of doing that."

While England's veteran Test cricket pacers in Broad and James Anderson are no longer part of their country's white-ball plans, Australia does not have that same luxury heading into the T20 World Cup.

The incumbent front-line Test trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are all set to also feature in the World Cup squad with a T20-heavy diet leading into the five-match Vodafone Ashes that begins in December.

And while none of that trio have currently confirmed plans to go to the UAE for the reschedule Indian Premier League that precedes the T20 World Cup, there will be little opportunity to play in the Marsh Sheffield Shield before they depart.

While NSW Blues players have continued to train during the current COVID19 lockdown in the state, the start of their summer domestic schedule is under a cloud.

The Blues are currently scheduled to play Marsh One-Day Cup fixtures in Western Australia on September 12 and 14 under the captaincy of Cummins, with their first Marsh Sheffield Shield match in Victoria starting September 29.

Managing that injury risk and building workloads could see Queensland seamer Michael Neser move into the frame for a maiden Test cap, while Victoria spearhead James Pattinson would also be hoping for a solid start to the domestic season.

Australia's first Test of the summer is against Afghanistan in Hobart from November 27

Broad warned "every single one of (England's) bowlers was in that red zone when the first ball was sent down at Trent Bridge" for the first Test against India.

Broad highlighted how Sam Curran went from bowling five balls at a time in the new Hundred competition to 25 overs in a day, while England had played three T20s and three ODIs against Pakistan and Sri Lanka each in the build-up to the India Tests.

"I feel for the coaching staff as they are having to balance the fitness of their players around the schedule, which is very tricky. But it is what it is, and we will need to find a way around that because it's going to be like that for the rest of my career," Broad said.

"The one positive I take out of a calf injury ruling me out of the rest of the summer is that I will get the chance to go to Australia in peak physical condition.

"The Ashes gives me a very strong focus and there is no reason why I cannot board the plane in November the fittest I've ever been.

"I never get a period in which I can just go to the gym, not worry about having to bowl, just train the body. That's now my aim.

"Now that I am 35, I am very realistic about rehabilitation and know that soft-tissue injuries take longer to heal than others. I have been told I will need 10 to 12 weeks to get back to full fitness."

Vodafone Men's Ashes v England

First Test: December 8-12, The Gabba

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Perth Stadium