Watch England take on West Indies in the first Test on January 23, live on Sky Sports
Friday 18 January 2019 16:42, UK
Stuart Broad is aiming to become the first bowler to take three hat-tricks in Test cricket as he prepares to face the West Indies in Barbados.
Broad celebrated a hat-trick on day two of England's first warm-up match against a Cricket West Indies President's XI on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old seamer took three wickets in as many balls just before tea, dismissing Bryan Charles to complete his hat-trick, to finish the day with figures of 4-19.
"It was a bit of fun actually," said Broad. "Warm-up games, you're just trying to get a feel for the action after having a bit of time at home indoors.
"You're just trying to get a feel for bowling on grass and hard pitches again.
"But any time you're involved in a hat-trick or get a hat-trick it is pretty exciting cricket. That was a lot of fun actually, I enjoyed it."
Four bowlers have taken two hat-tricks in Test cricket but Broad is aiming to be the first to three when England face the Windies in their opening match of the three-Test series in Bridgetown on January 23.
"Nobody has got three and that is a bit of a goal of mine actually," said Broad.
"I got one at Trent Bridge against India and one at Headingley against Sri Lanka and I would love to get a third."
Broad is joint eighth on the all-time list of leading wicket-takers in Test cricket with 433 dismissals but says he still has the hunger to improve, after experimenting with a shorter run-up in Barbados.
"My control was good and I felt really controlled at the crease," he said. "In the Caribbean you can get quite windy conditions and that can really help, having a shorter stride to keep me strong at the crease.
"For a first run out today, I'm absolutely thrilled with how it came out. You're always going to have good days and bad days when you're trying something new.
"But it is quite exciting going into training every day as a 32-year-old with something you're really hungry to work on. I feel like it is going to move me quite a long way as a bowler."
England were handed an injury blow ahead of the first Test after Olly Stone was ruled out with a stress fracture of the lower back.
Stone will now leave the tour in order to undergo further tests in the UK and Broad expressed his sympathy for the Warwickshire seamer.
"It is always dreadful when someone has to leave the tour with an injury," said Broad.
"Stress fractures or stress reactions, we don't know what it is, are always annoying as a bowler because you feel like you can maybe bowl through them slightly but you get sharp pains now and again.
"He is going to have to go home and get some rehab but I'm sure we're going to see him in an England shirt when he is recovered because he's a talented bowler."
