 Johannesburg: England Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad is unperturbed by the absence of last T20 World Cup`s man of the tournament, Kevin Pietersen in the squad, and believes the dressing room has players who can help them defend their title.
Pietersen has been kept out of the England squad for disciplinary reasons since the second Test against South Africa last month.
The South African-born batsman was axed after it was revealed he had sent provocative texts to opposition players, some of which were allegedly critical of then England Test captain Andrew Strauss, but Broad seems least bothered.
"The 15 guys that are here are very excited to represent England in a world tournament. I am extremely proud to lead those guys into play. It`s a great challenge for all of us. Not many guys have played in an ICC (International Cricket Council) tournament," Broad was quoted as saying in an interview.
"But eight of us were involved when we won the World T20 last time. I have full faith in the side I have got," he added.
"We do not want to plan too much because anything can happen in Twenty20. You have to think on your feet and just go with your guts," he said.
Broad added: "We have guys in the dressing room who can win the title. Now we have to perform the roles we have assigned to each other. And if we do that, we have as good a chance as any other side in the tournament."
England take on Australia on Monday and Pakistan on Wednesday in two warm-up games in Colombo ahead of their first group A match against Afghanistan on September 21.
ANI
First Published: Saturday, September 15, 2012, 11:58
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