Last time our hard work was tainted but we won't let that distract us
The early days on tour
It's been really good. We’ve put in a lot of hard work after our break and made sure we’ve got the intensity right. We’ve put in the overs in the field and probably the only other thing we could have wished for is a bit more time in the middle for a couple of our batsmen.
But, bowling-wise, everyone looks in pretty good form going into Tuesday’s first Test. I managed to hit the ball into my ankle batting on Sunday after Jimmy Anderson got me with an inswinging yorker. But there is just a bit of bruising and I will be fine.
Broad ambition: Stuart is expecting to be fit to play in the first Test
This could well be an attritional Test series but, mentally and skills-wise, we’re prepared for that.
Pitch battle
I’ve seen that the soil in the pitches here comes from Pakistan and we are expecting them to be flat and slow. We’ll have to use the new ball well.
We’re anticipating fielding for 90 overs and getting four, five or six wickets a day. Within that we don’t want to go for more than two or three runs an over and that’s where we’ll build the pressure.
The serious business
We all know what happened the last time we played Pakistan. A win at Lord’s, one of the highlights of any cricketer’s career, was turned into a very sour occasion.
We are staying in the same hotel here as their team and we will say hello if we bump into them. Nobody will start any problems but people are still a little hurt by it all so we want to get the job done here.
We never want to see what happened in 2010 repeated so it’s inevitable there will be some negative feelings. That summer’s cricket and our hard work was tainted but having those sort of feelings will not distract us from the job in hand.
Tainted: Broad passed 150 in the controversial fourth Test at Lord's in 2010
As Andrew Strauss said to us, there doesn’t seem to have ever been a series between England and Pakistan without some flashpoint. I only have to look back at my old man not walking against them (in Lahore in 1987, left).
There is history between the sides but it’s important we as players don’t get caught up in that. We just have to focus on what we do without taking away our aggressive approach.
Back in the wickets
To take seven wickets in the first three-day game on my return after injury was satisfying. I bowled the same sort of lengths as I did against India to try to draw the batsmen forward and get them nicking balls in the danger area. That’s the length I’ll be looking to replicate from now on.
You have to remember on these slower wickets, though, the bouncer can still be hard to play. If you dig it in batsmen are not sure whether to get under it or play it so it can be a useful weapon if used sparingly.
Reverse swing will be a huge factor and we’ve come a long way with that as a team over the last couple of years. Sydney was a big example of that and it’s something we’ll have to use over here.
Seventh heaven: Broad was in the wickets in the first warm-up match
There’s no magical mystery about it. If you watch us closely you’ll see the ball just goes through two pairs of hands on its way back to the bowler and one of those pairs belongs to Alastair Cook, who doesn’t sweat. So there’s no moisture on the ball and it naturally roughs up on one side while we keep the other one shiny.
We’re strict on everyone having to hold the ball just by the seam if it comes to you in the field.
One down already
It was a great shame seeing Tim Bresnan go home because he gives us so many good options. He was unfortunate in that he landed awkwardly on his elbow in an early fielding practice and it blew up like a balloon.
This Test series is crammed into such a short space of time that it ruled him out of the whole series. He’ll probably be fit by the third Test but he won’t have had any bowling so the decision was made to get him back home and ready for the one-day series.
He’s got a two-week injury, basically. The upside is that Graham Onions is here after a serious back injury. To see someone who has gone through all that, here and bowling for England again, is very encouraging.
Back in action: Onions has returned to the England fold
Playing in the desert
I’ve been to Dubai quite a bit and we’ve been made very welcome here. The facilities are excellent. The nature of modern touring is that we don’t get much time off and we’ve been very much concentrating on business but a few of the management staff, led by the intrepid Bruce French, took the opportunity to go skiing on the indoor slope here. Real snow under a roof!
I hope a lot of the Barmy Army come out here for this series because there are a lot of things for them to do but my gut feeling is that they will save their money for Sri Lanka.
KP counting the cost
Forget my seven wickets. Forget even the two victories in the warm-up games. I’m not going to lie to you, the highlight of the tour so far was Kevin Pietersen losing credit card roulette.
We were in the very posh Ivy restaurant, sister of the London one, and it seemed quite exclusive with lots of couples there dining. So, of course, it was Graeme Swann’s idea to play our occasional game where we all put our cards in a napkin at the end of the meal and ask a waitress or waiter to pull them out and eliminate someone one by one. Last one in pays the whole bill.
Short straw: Kevin Pietersen had to pick up an expensive bill
There were 12 of us in on it and it wasn’t cheap. Jonathan Trott was the first out and there was a big boo because he didn’t want to pay and the boys fancied him for it. I was left in the last four so I was getting nervous but I survived and the last two were Graham Gooch, on his debut, and KP.
Nobody wanted Goochy to lose and when his card was pulled out the restaurant turned into a student union bar. People were running off as if they’d scored a goal at Wembley, everyone was cheering and even the couples who had been enjoying a quiet meal joined in the celebrations with us. It was like getting Ricky Ponting out in the Ashes. Kevin was properly hurting and went straight to bed sulking…
The new frontier
We are aware this isn’t going to be a series where we can expect to bowl Pakistan out for 150 then rack up 400. We have had some wonderful moments over the last couple of years but it’s important the public perception of this series isn’t that England will win 3-0.
Pakistan will be difficult to beat on what really is their home soil and we know as a bowling unit we will have to sit in then seize our chance if it presents itself. It is going to be a challenge.
