Saker's 'defeatist attitude' barb helped Broad 'turn the tide' against Oz in first Ashes Test

A barb at England player Stuart Broad's 'defeatist attitude' by his bowling coach David Saker has helped him to push for a golden year in cricket, according to reports.

According to Metro.co.uk, the scene was a Mumbai hotel room when England had just won at the Wankhede Stadium to level the series at 1-1 but Broad, dogged by a heel injury, had gone missing.

Saker, a straight-talking Victorian, laid into his charge saying that the bowler needed to front up, the report said.

Broad was then dropped for the series-clinching victory in Kolkata that followed and returned home early for treatment on his heel, the report added.

However, with his mentor's very public kick up the backside ringing in his ears, Broad has gone on to enjoy a golden year, the report further said.

The 27-year-old's five-wicket haul on the opening day of this Ashes series in Brisbane was his fifth in the past 12 months, according to the report.

Broad himself said that there was something about Ashes cricket that brought the best out of him.