Broad 'proud' of 'Ashes villain' status following 'scintillating' Durham bowling show

England fast bowler Stuart Broad has accepted his tag as an Ashes villain, saying that he is not affected by people questioning his character as he prides himself on getting under Australia's skin in the Ashes.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Broad claimed 4-48 in the most scintillating bowling performance of the series on Saturday, further tormenting Australia at Chester-le-Street on day two of the fourth Test.

Speaking out for the first time since infamously refusing to walk in the first Test at Trent Bridge despite hitting a ball to first slip, Broad said that said he has no regrets over his decision to stand his ground, despite the criticism he faced for the incident which however, proved pivotal in England's narrow 14-run first Test win.

Indicating that he intends to enhance his reputation as the tourists' most hated Englishman in the return series in Australia, Broad further said that as he grew up watching an England team that were too weak to have a villain, he would like to give a taste of their own medicine to Australia for which he would thrive on being the 'bad guy'.

Although the report suggested that Broad is set to face a verbal attack from the Australian crowds, the bowler however, is not worried, saying that he does not think that any English player would want Australia to love them, as that would mean that the player is not performing well.

Stating that there are a few English players from the 90s and early 2000s who would want to be an Australian villain, Broad also said that he believed that the fallout from not walking is part and parcel of the media's job, although he added that it did not affect him at all.

Although Broad has made himself easy to hate for the tourists, with his swagger at the bowling crease, over-the-top appealing and disruptive antics, he however, had little to show, taking just six wickets from the first three Tests, although the report added that he came back to form by bowling back-to-back spells at 135km/h at Durham, day two.