Stuart Broad ‘frustrated, angry and gutted’ after England snub

Broad finished as the team’s top wicket-taker in both the 2019 Ashes series and the away series in South Africa

Stuart Broad sought reassurances about his future in England’s cricket team after feeling “frustrated, angry and gutted” for getting dropped for the first Test against the West Indies. The 34-year-old fast bowler, who has won 138 Test caps and sits second on the country’s all-time wickets list, was edged out of the team when England opted for a pace attack of James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in Southampton.

Broad had played the previous 51 home Tests, dating back to 2012 when he was rested in a dead match, and finished as the team’s top wicket-taker in both the 2019 Ashes series and the away series in South Africa.

“I’m not a particularly emotional person but I’ve found the last couple of days quite tough,” Broad said. “To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement - you get disappointed if you drop your phone and break your screen.

“I’ve been frustrated, angry and gutted because it’s quite a hard decision to understand. I’ve probably bowled the best I’ve ever bowled in the last couple of years. I felt like it was my shirt, having been in the team through the Ashes and going to South Africa and winning there.”

Broad said he was given “pretty positive feedback going forward” about his status in the squad after asking for clarification from national selector Ed Smith. England’s stand-in captain, Ben Stokes, had previously told Broad that selectors were “going with extra pace” at the Rose Bowl. Broad acknowledged that England has unusually strong field of candidates in the pace department.

“We’re in quite a unique position this summer. Very rarely do you get all your bowlers fit like we’ve got at the minute and all your bowlers ready to go,” he said in an interview on Sky Sports.

“I felt like I deserved a spot in the team, like everyone else. Chris Woakes, Sam Curran were bowling really well and probably deserve to be in the XI, too. So it is hard to take but also I’m quite pleased I feel frustrated and feel gutted and angry because if I didn’t I’d have a different decision to make.”

Stokes has said England is likely to rotate the bowling line-up during the three-match series against the West Indies, with the second and third Tests taking place in Manchester.