'Street-hardened' Broad credits 'tough' Oz stint for current 'aggressive' form

England bowler Stuart Broad has said that he came 'back a bloke' and became the player that he is now after his first cricket stint in Australia when he was still a teenager.

Unlike former England Test captain Sir Ian Botham who found Australia 'big and empty, like its inhabitants', Broad admittedly enjoyed Australia, its competitiveness, lifestyle and the fact that its denizens are 'crazy' about the game.

According to The Independent, even though Broad is the 'Public Enemy No.1' in Australia following Australian coach Darren Lehmann's 'incitement', Broad has admitted that Australia helped make him the player that he is now, adding that the country helped him turn into a 'street-hardened' cricketer from a schoolboy.

Broad also said that he found himself opening the batting and bowling against tough Australian league cricketers who would be very aggressive on the field but would chill out with a beer after a game with their rivals.

The report mentioned that Broad was only 17 years old when he first took a flight to play grade cricket in Melbourne.

Broad further said that he picked up his current competitiveness from the peak of Australian cricket, which had legends like Justin Langer, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting playing in it in their glory, adding that the competitiveness helped him to gain a place in the county team Leicestershire.

Meanwhile, Broad also said that he was never pressurised by his family to become a professional cricketer.