James Anderson and Stuart Broad were axed for the upcoming West Indies Test tour.
Premier England pacer Stuart Broad reacted to his omission from the Test squad for the West Indies series. He said that neither he nor James Anderson saw this coming and they were blindsided.
After a debacle in Ashes 2021-22, where they suffered a 4-0 thumping, England is slated to play a three-match Test series against West Indies. The series will begin from 8th March in Antigua with the second and third games to be played in Barbados and Grenada on 16th and 24th March respectively.
The Joe Root-led side recently named a 16-member squad for the Test series. While there were some fresh faces, what came as a surprise was ECB axed ace pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad from the side.
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The omission of the fast-bowling duo saw England receive a lot of flak for their selection. Observers felt that ECB treated the duo harshly without considering their Test records.
Writing in his column for The Daily Mail, Stuart Broad reacted to his omission from the squad. He said that he’s struggling to put things into context and snub from the team has affected his sleep. He added that it would be wrong if he acts like everything is OK.
"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. Not to big it up too much but it has affected my sleep. I said to my partner Mollie 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," Stuart Broad said.
Broad said that he would’ve accepted being dropped if he had let his standards slip. But that isn’t the case as he reasonably performed well for England in the final two Tests of the Ashes 2021-22 and have been a standard bowler for a long time.
"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," he said.
Broad stressed that it’s even more upsetting for him as England is not looking at him as a part of their immediate plans, which was conveyed to him.
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"And so, it makes it even more upsetting that they don't see me part of their immediate plans, especially with a view to looking at a way of winning away from home, which was briefly explained to me. 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," he said.
Broad revealed that with each day passing he’s waking up more confused and angrier and his mom advised him to take time and figure things out.
"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," he said.
Stuart Broad further said that neither James Anderson nor he saw this coming and they were blindsided.
"Understandably, people will ask if there has therefore been some fall-out behind the scenes, a bit of a rumble during the Ashes, but I can categorically say that is not the case. Hence, neither Jimmy nor I saw this coming. We were blindsided," he concluded.
(ANI inputs)