Stuart Broad says decision to omit both him and James Anderson from England’s latest squad is “difficult to comprehend” and adds: “I am waking up more confused and angrier with each passing day”
Last Updated: 13/02/22 10:22am
Stuart Broad has been left out of England’s tour of the West Indies
Stuart Broad says he has been hit hard by being left out of the squad for England’s tour of the West Indies, claiming he does not understand the decision and that it has made him “confused and angrier with each passing day”.
Broad and James Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-takers with 1,177 victims between them, have been left out of the 16-man squad for the three-Test tour.
The selection panel comprising of Andrew Strauss and interim head coach Paul Collingwood said they were seeking a new approach after the team’s 4-0 Ashes humiliation in Australia.
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“I always try to find a positive in the hand that has been dealt to me,” Broad wrote in a Daily Mail column.
“To be honest, though, that’s been quite tricky this time because the decision to leave me out of the tour of West Indies has hit me pretty hard.
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Rob Key joins Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton to look at England’s selections for the upcoming West Indies Test tour, and notably the dropping of James Anderson and Stuart Broad
“Not to big it up too much but it has affected my sleep. I said to my partner Mollie (King) one morning that my body felt sore. She suggested that would be stress.
“No, I can’t pretend I am as good as gold, because I am not. It would be wrong to act like everything’s OK.”
Strauss said he had spoken to Broad and Anderson after they were omitted and that he hoped they would understand the rationale behind the decision.
But Broad said: “I hopped on the Tube in London the following day and people were asking ‘What on earth is going on?’ I couldn’t explain it. How do you?
“If anything, that compounds my frustration because if I had spoken to one person who had said they agreed with the decision to leave myself and Jimmy out, I could perhaps begin to understand. Do I believe I warrant a place in England’s best team in Antigua on March 8? Of course, I do. That is why it is so difficult to comprehend.”
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Nasser Hussain says Stuart Broad and James Anderson ‘deserve better’, after the pair were excluded from England’s squad to face West Indies
He added: “I took 11 wickets in the final two Ashes matches, I have been Test-match standard for a long time and, for the last eight years, you would say world-class.
“I could take being dropped if I had let my standards slip but facing up to being overlooked when they haven’t is another thing altogether. That’s why I was so outspoken when I was left out against West Indies in Southampton a couple of years ago.
“The same again here but with the added factor that I am struggling to put things into context. It’s hard to do so when all you’ve had is a five-minute phone call and nothing else.”
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ECB interim managing director Andrew Strauss explains why James Anderson and Stuart Broad have both been left out of England’s 16-man squad to face the West Indies next month
England’s first Test against the West Indies begins on March 8 in Antigua. The three-match series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship.
“Has this episode changed the way I think about my career? I just can’t answer that at the moment,” Broad stated. “I spoke to my mum Carole on Friday because I am waking up more confused and angrier with each passing day, and she just advised me to take time, step away from the game for a bit and figure things out.
“Time can be a great healer, she says. But right now, I feel gutted. Do I need to prove myself again? In my mind, I’ve nothing to prove. I am a proven performer, so it is now about the English cricketing summer and mentally and physically targeting the home series against New Zealand in June.”