Captain Stuart Broad has played down fears over his ongoing knee injury and expects to feature in England’s ICC World Twenty20 opener against New Zealand in Chittagong on Saturday.
The 27-year-old was forced to withdraw from the side for their final two matches on the recent tour of the West Indies because he required treatment for patella tendinitis and there were question marks over whether he would be able to start the tournament in Bangladesh.
However, while Broad is set to miss Tuesday’s warm-up game against the Windies in Fatullah, he is expecting to feature in the match against India in Mirpur with a view to being in the side when the action starts for real against the Black Caps this weekend.
“I might not play tomorrow as I haven’t actually run on my knee since I had the injection but I’d say I will definitely play against India the next day,” Broad said.
“The soreness has gone a little bit. We had 12 hours in Dubai where I was able to get a gym session in and it seems to be progressing pretty well.
“If it was a Test match tour it might be more concerning. But with it only being four overs a game I am pretty confident I will be able to play a full part in this World Cup.”
The news will come as a boost to England who have already lost all-rounder Ben Stokes after he fractured his hand punching a locker in frustration after being bowled for a duck in a Twenty20 international against the West Indies last week.
Joe Root was already ruled out after breaking his thumb when he was hit by a short ball from Windies bowler Ravi Rampaul in a one-day international in the Caribbean.
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