England's Ashes hero Stuart Broad doesn't want to replicate all rounder Andrew Flintoff in his life and is not even that keen on taking Flintoff's place at No.7 in the Test team.
"No one can replace Fred. It is important that I focus on my qualities and don't try to be someone I'm not," Broad said.
Despite scoring five fifties in his 22-Test career, two of them in the Ashes, and having a respectable batting average of 31, Broad plays down that side of his game.
"My aim is to become a good No 8. If the top six build a platform that allows me and Graeme Swann to come and play with freedom as we did at the Oval. I just want to be awkward to bowl at," The Times quoted Broad, as saying.
Flintoff has said that Broad's batting is good enough to play as a specialist batsman and Geoff Boycott, praising the straight play of Broad, compared him to a young Garry Sobers, saying that Broad could make the same journey as Sobers from tailender.
"I don't think I can average 40 in Test cricket. That's a huge ask, even for recognised batsmen," Broad said.
The modest Nottinghamshire all-rounder really wants is to spend a night in his own bed and maybe hang a shelf or two.
"I bought a house six months ago and I've only spent about 20 nights there. When we have finished with these one-day games and the Champions Trophy, all I'm looking forward to is 2-3 weeks at home and a bit of decorating before we go to South Africa."
Andrew Flintoff is reportedly having six feet mosaics of the Ashes urn installed in the swimming pools, but Broad's ambition extends no farther than getting house painted.
Nor does he plan to decorate his body, Flintoff-style. "My mum would never let me in the house again if I had a tattoo," he said.
IPL on his own terms
Broad, who turned down approaches from the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year so that he could prepare for a busy summer in 2009, will play the mega event if his body permits.
The other temptations will take a back seat.
"It helped that I was still pretty fresh and had a lot of time to get my mind round an Ashes series," Broad said.
"My agent was speaking to different teams and I thought about it for some time, but it just wasn't important this year," Broad was quoted as saying.
Broad is not excited by the price he will attract in next year's auction at the IPL.
"It depends on how my body is and if anyone wants me," he said.
His body is not so good at the moment.
A neck injury suffered while fielding in the first one-day international against Australia on Friday kept him out of the second on Sunday and he will probably miss the third game at the Rose Bowl as well.
"I dived for the ball, my elbow caught the ground and it jarred my shoulder and neck," Broad said.
"I went into a spasm. I'm having massage every day, but it is still a struggle to lift my arms. I think it is going to be tight for the Rose Bowl, but hopefully I'll be back for the rest of the series," he added.
