Cricket: Broad shrugs off Aussie coach's Ashes 'mind games'

Stuart Broad said he had no issues with Warne. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Stuart Broad has lit the touchpaper for another explosive Ashes cricket series, claiming Australia coach Darren Lehmann is using mind games to try to unsettle England because he knows his side is inferior.

Lehmann was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for comments made about Broad in a radio interview during the fifth test at The Oval last August.

The former test batsman accused the controversial fast bowler of "blatant cheating" and vowed to send him home from the coming series in Australia "in tears". In a separate interview, Lehmann then said the England team were dour and questioned the technique of No3 batsman Jonathan Trott.

Shane Warne has also been a stern critic, claiming Alastair Cook is a negative captain and that his players were arrogant.

But in an interview with BBC Radio, Broad said Lehmann's claims were proof he'd got under the Australian team's skin.

"As an opposition player, when a head coach starts speaking about you from the opposition, it's not a bad thing," Broad said. "It means they are in your bubble and they are not enjoying playing against you. Which is what professional sport is all about.

"Lehmann will try mind games. I see he had a go at Trotty's technique.

"If we believed everything that came out: dour cricket, captained poorly, we don't bowl our overs quick enough, lack adaptability. But we won the series 3-0.

"So if we did everything they say we can't, then surely we'd win the two series 10-0."

Broad said he had no issues with Warne and the leg-spinning great was just trying to help the Australian side.

"It's a PR game. I see Warne as working for Australia. We are not listening to what he says," he said.

"It's like a big fight, all the trash talk that goes before it. We don't need to get involved in that.

"We're very happy with where we are as a team. We've got some skilful players, guys who are hungry to perform in Australia, we don't need to comment on Australia."

Broad incurred the wrath of Lehmann when he refused to walk during the first test at Trent Bridge after edging an Ashton Agar delivery off the fingers of Brad Haddin's gloves and into the hands of Michael Clarke at first slip.