Veteran Stuart Broad upset over axing for England’s opening Test against West Indies in Southampton
With England opting for the express pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood to face West Indies in Southampton, veteran Stuart Broad was left in the unfamiliar role of 12th man duties. He wasn’t happy.
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England paceman Stuart Broad said he felt frustrated and angry at having “my shirt” taken away after he was dropped for the first Test against West Indies at Southampton.
Broad was in England’s 13-man squad for the series opener, the first major international cricket since the coronavirus lockdown.
The seamer is second only to long-standing new-ball colleague James Anderson in England’s all-time list of leading Test wicket-takers.
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Broad was also England’s most successful bowler during a 3-1 series win in South Africa earlier this year, with 14 wickets at under 20 apiece.
But for the first match of the ongoing three-Test series, England opted for the express pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, as well as Anderson and stand-in captain Ben Stokes in a four-man seam attack.
“I’m not a particularly emotional person but I’ve found the last couple of days quite tough,” Broad said.
“To say I was disappointed would be an understatement... I’m frustrated, angry, gutted.
“It’s difficult to understand. I’ve probably bowled the best I’ve ever bowled the last couple of years -- I felt it was my shirt... I felt like I deserved a spot in the team, as would anyone else.”
Broad’s mood was unlikely to have improved as Archer and Wood managed just one wicket between them on a placid pitch during West Indies’ 318 before England closed on 15 without loss in their second innings - still 99 runs behind.
“I think yeah he’s very frustrated and disappointed to be left out, and someone was going to be,” Anderson said after taking 3-62 in an innings where Stokes led from the front with 4-49.
“I think it’s great for the team also that Stuart is disappointed to be left out because it shows that he’s passionate, he’s desperate to be in this team and be a part of our success going forward, so I think that’s a huge positive for the group.”
Broad said he had spoken to England national selector Ed Smith about the prospect of adding to his tally of 485 wickets from 138 Tests.
And with England set to play six Tests in seven weeks, with a three-match series against Pakistan to follow the Windies campaign, it is likely Broad will be involved.
Poms on ropes as Windies skipper runs riot
West Indies captain Jason Holder said “my Test is far from over” after he rocked England with a career-best six-wicket haul on the second day of the series opener at Southampton.
Holder, the world’s top-ranked all-rounder, took 6-42 as England were dismissed for 204 to surpass his previous Test-best of 6-59 against Bangladesh at Kingston two years ago.
It was the sixth time in his last 10 Tests that the towering paceman had taken five or more wickets in an innings, with this return including the prize scalp of rival all-rounder and stand-in England captain Ben Stokes.
West Indies have not won a Test series in England since 1988 but they hold the Wisden Trophy after a 2-1 success in the Caribbean last year - when Holder made an unbeaten double century in an opening win at his Barbados home ground.
“I have done a good job so far but my Test is far from over,” Holder said after bad light forced an early close with West Indies 1-57, a deficit of 147 runs.
“I have a massive contribution to make with the bat,” the 28-year-old added.
Holder had been struggling with an ankle injury in the lead-up to the series - the first Test campaign since lockdown -- but still troubled England with his accuracy and late movement.
West Indies had twice dropped Stokes, second in the Test all-rounder rankings, before Holder had him caught behind for 43, the top score of the innings, to end a stand of 67 with Jos Buttler (35).
“It was a big wicket to get,” said Holder.
“We put down two chances and he was looking to make us pay.
“His partnership with Jos was starting to blossom into something that could really hurt us.
“But I was getting just enough movement to keep him at bay, keep him playing and eventually got the edge.”
England opted to leave out veteran paceman Stuart Broad and deploy fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood together for the first time in a Test.
But although both Archer and Wood topped speeds of 90 mph, it was James Anderson - England’s all-time most successful Test bowler - who took the lone wicket of John Campbell.
Originally published as Veteran Stuart Broad upset over axing for England’s opening Test against West Indies in Southampton