STUART BROAD

I'll play as long as that competitive spirit and drive is there because that's what gets me up in the morning, that feeling of having a batsman drive at you, play and miss, the sort of theatre around that sort of stuff.

As a player you get asked to do different roles within the side.

When two players are playing with passion for their country, that's good to see.

It is important as a bowler that you always need to have a presence. If you lose that you lose quite a bit, a big part of your armoury. It comes naturally with me, and at times it is a huge advantage. I don't want to lose it. I want to keep getting wickets.

Glenn McGrath's my hero, so I did a lot of reading on him when I was growing up.

I really like watches and have about eight.

My outlook is that when you're under pressure then that is when you play your best cricket. You've got no choice but to perform to keep your place and I find that brings out the best in me.

Everyone knows I've got a pretty passionate outlook on my cricket - and sometimes it does get the better of me.

Our training schedule can change quite a bit throughout the year - if you're going into quite a heavy Test match workload a lot of it's based on recovery and a lot of aerobic work is done in that period.

As a sportsman you are always testing your limits.

That's one of the nice things about being a sportsman is that once you cross that white line, it is a freedom, you are away from everything in life really. You are playing cricket and that's an escape from everything. That's as clear as you get really.

Ultimately we're playing cricket and we want guys who will score runs and take catches to help England win.

I found Ricky Ponting the hardest to bowl to and it was a great pleasure to play against him as he was genuinely one of the best that's ever played and a really tough competitor as well. He hated you when you were on the field but he always shook your hand and was the epitome of 'play hard but play fair.'

People talk about cricket being an individual game but I really don't agree; everything is done in a partnership.

My life changed forever the first time I went to the southern hemisphere.

I know the International Cricket Council are very strict about what you are allowed to do and what looks good on TV, but you can't let that take away from your natural game.

Shaun Pollock is actually the best role model for me as a very good attritional bowler.

When you are performing at the top level you don't get many chances to go back to basics as you are in elite performance mode. It's hard to break your technique or action down when it always needs to be at a match intensity.

My earliest memories were in the back of my grandad's car listening to Test Match Special.

My role changes quite a lot, but ultimately I've always admired Glenn McGrath.

Within the changing room, everyone has always known I'm best when I pitch the ball up and get a little bit of movement.

I'm just very passionate to win games for my country - and sometimes when things don't go my way, I'll get a little bit narky.

I try to look for tempo in my run-up to make sure my knees are lifting up instead of going long. That brings an energy to my run-up, try and make myself feel as tall as I can.

It's very important in international cricket to be able to hold a bat, not just hold up an end, but have the ability to score runs.

Playing for England is the most important thing in my life.