Broad: FPL mug reminds mates of my win

Stuart Broad shared out his prizes for winning Manager of the Week in Fantasy Premier League last season but he made sure to keep one thing in his grasp: his FPL mug.

The England cricketer won a copy of EA SPORTS FIFA18, a Nike Ordem V match ball, FPL rucksack, FPL mug and stress ball for beating nearly six million managers worldwide when he got the most points in Gameweek 37.

But he made the mistake of having them delivered to his county ground at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, where his team-mates plundered the package.

"The football gets used for Notts' warm-up, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club have got that," he says in an exclusive interview with the FPL Show. "My stepdad uses the bag as a backpack for his allotment, so that gets some good use!"

But Broad kept hold of the mug and uses it at every opportunity to remind his team-mates of his Fantasy success.

"I actually wind my mates up," he says. "I drink out of the cup, my tea in the morning. Or if the lads come round I'll always have a cup of tea out of that mug and they're like, 'Put it away, we've heard enough about it!' "

Broad reveals how nervous he was watching West Ham United play Manchester United on a Thursday night in May.

He knew a clean sheet for the Hammers would win him the prize because Adrian, their goalkeeper was on his bench and he had played his Bench Boost chip. 

"I remember checking my phone on the Monday morning," he says. 

"You know you've got the top points in the top right-hand corner? Well that matched up with mine and I thought, 'Surely not, that's weird', clicked on and I was joint-top with someone.

"I came into the changing room and the lads were like buzzing. 'Have you seen it? Have you seen it? You're top of the Gameweek!'

"West Ham were playing and I had Adrian, the 'keeper, and if he kept a clean sheet I pretty much knew I'd be winning, and he did! I watched it so nervously." 

As he prepares for England’s third Test against India at Trent Bridge on Saturday, Broad will not be neglecting his FPL duties.

"Fridays are my day to get my team right," Broad says. "I like to leave selection to the last minute on Friday to make sure I don’t have any last-minute injuries. [Kevin] De Bruyne's got injured this week so he's going to have to be my transfer." 

England and Broad take on India with a series-clinching win in their sights.

But Broad admits that on the first day one of the things the England players will do when coming in for tea will be to check how their FPL teams are doing and who is moving up and down in their mini-league.

"We'll get in Saturday and, if we're bowling, we'll come in at tea [and say] 'What are the scores, who scored?' and it will be celebrations," he says.