Broad excited by T20 squad

Stuart Broad

Published: 1:15pm, 22nd February 2012
Updated: 10:59pm, 22nd February 2012

Resurgent England will return to one of their world-beating disciplines on Thursday under a Twenty20 captain confident they have the potential to improve still further.

Stuart Broad takes over the reins from one-day international leader Alastair Cook for three Twenty20s against Pakistan, after the latter impressed so much with his 50-over batting in the unexpected 4-0 series whitewash England completed on Tuesday.

"I look through the squad, and it excites me," said Broad, who has just seven fixtures to try to fine-tune England's resources between now and the warm-up matches in Sri Lanka next September when they will defend their ICC World Twenty20 crown.

"Of the guys who've come into the side in recent times, Jos Buttler's won game after game for Somerset; (Jonny) Bairstow strikes the ball beautifully, as we've seen on the international stage; Jade Dernbach's got a brilliant yorker and a great slower ball.

"We've got guys coming into the Twenty20 team and offering a huge amount."

Broad - back as captain after missing England's last three Twenty20s because of a shoulder injury - has been impressed too with his Nottinghamshire team-mate Samit Patel, who has been a limited-overs ever-present for England this winter.

"Samit has shown good form on this one-day tour, both with bat and ball," he said.

"It's exciting going on to the field, knowing you have that trust in your guys to perform.

"That's what it's about - and as long as players know their roles, and what's expected of them, they have enough talent to be able to produce that on the field."

Cook's run of form has seen him retained as cover - Ravi Bopara has a back injury, but was able to take full part in practice on Wednesday - for a format in which the opener mustered the last of only four caps to date back in 2009.