England's premier pacer Stuart Broad is relishing the opportunity of hosting Australia at Edgbaston in the opener of the five-match Ashes series on August 1.
Broad is excited at the opportunity of bowling in Birmingham as the crowd gets behind the home time at their full voice. Speaking to cricket.com.au, the right-arm pacer warned the Aussies and asked them to expect hostility in the opening game of the much-awaited series.
"Edgbaston will be tasty won't it? I think you use it. I think they'd be wrong not to prepare and expect, certainly the Birmingham, Old Trafford and Headingley crowds to be quite lively. I think the atmosphere somewhere like Birmingham is just naturally brilliant.
"The crowd come to see England try and win but have an amazing time with it. Look, Warner and Smith have played in front of many a big crowd and have had to warm to much abuse over their careers.
"I'm sure the Barmy Army will make them slightly nervous because they are an intimidating unit, but I don't think it will affect their performances," Broad added.
What also adds to his confidence and Australia's woes is the fact that England haven't lost a Test match at Edgbaston since 2014 and the Three Lions are also heading into the series as favourites after a succesful maiden World Cup title in the summer.
However, despite the banter, Broad acknowledged the abilities of David Warner and Steve Smith, who are returning to Test cricket after serving their one-year ban and said that their presence makes the series much more appealing.
"I think Smith and Warner have been through a hellish last year for making a silly mistake. But a year's punishment is pretty brutal, isn't it? They've served their time, their punishment and I think the Ashes is a better prospect and series with both those two playing.
"They're two world-class players, two great competitors, two guys I've had brilliant battles with over a decent period of time, so I'm really delighted that they'll be involved in the Ashes series. I think it makes the game a better spectacle with those two there," Broad said.
The first Test of the five-match series starts on August 1st and it also marks the beginning of the World Test Championships. The remaining four will be played at Lord's (August 14 - August 18), Headingley (August 22 - August 26), Old Trafford (September 4 - September 8) and The Oval (September 12 - September 16).
