Twenty20 series will help us prepare for World Cup — Broad

Dubai: Captain of England's Twenty20 squad Stuart Broad wants to use the series against Pakistan, which starts today (8pm) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as a confidence booster before the International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

"We need to make use of every game we have because there aren't many matches leading to the World Cup. Since the World Cup is being held in the sub-continent, we need to really make use of these conditions. This makes these games pretty important. From a learning perspective, we are not looking at these matches as a warm-up for the World Cup, but we are looking to win this series and that is what we will be focusing on," Broad said.

"It's great to be back in charge, and I'm delighted to be leading the side after the confidence we've gained from a 4-0 victory in the one-day series."

Exciting opportunity

Talking about his captaincy, he said: "I've been involved with a lot more than just the three hours on the pitch. There's a lot more that goes into the captaincy than just taking the team on the park. It's an exciting opportunity and it's the first chance we've had to have three games on the bounce, where we can really learn and develop — and obviously look to win."

Broad recalled that England went on to win the Twenty20 World Cup after playing in the UAE. "If you look back at our last (ICC World) Twenty20 victory, I remember we lost to the Lions out here — five or six weeks before that tournament — then went to it and got on a roll once we were there. That's the key to Twenty20 cricket, the momentum leading into it."

When asked whether Alastair Cook may play in the Twenty20 matches, he said: "Cooky is keen to play Twenty20 cricket. He's been kept on in the squad, because obviously we've got some injury concerns — and you can't go into a series with only one spare batsman, because if someone breaks a finger in the nets, you look a bit silly. So, it was very easy for Cooky (Alastair Cook) to stay on for an extra three or four days to cover the squad, and we can obviously have a look at him in the Twenty20 format."

Broad added that England's three different captains work together. "Straussy (Andrew Strauss), Cooky and I work pretty closely on all formats of the game. Just because Straussy doesn't play in the one-day format doesn't mean he has no say or opinion on it. It's the same for Cooky in the Twenty20. The three of us work very closely with Andy Flower, and that will continue," he said.

To a query whether Cook's presence is a threat to his Twenty20 captaincy, Broad said: "No, not at all. I've got the Twenty20 job. I've been trusted in that position and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Whoever comes into that side, you hope they do well."