Stuart Broad
England's seasoned pacer Stuart Broad admitted that he was "frustrated, angry, gutted" over the decision to exclude him from the Southampton opener against West Indies as he felt that it was hard for him to understand.
Broad was left for the first Test of the three-match series against West Indies that started on Wednesday at the Ageas Bowl, with the pacer missing his first home Test since 2012 (also against West Indies). Ben Stokes, the stand-in skipper in place of Joe Root, went in with extra pace as he added Jofra Archer and Mark Wood to the lineup alongside veteran pacer James Anderson.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of day 3, Broad revealed that he was informed about the decision on Tuesday evening by Stokes personally. He also added that he had a word with head selector Ed Smith, who assured him the decision was purely made on the nature of the pitch.
"I was given pretty positive feedback in going forward.
"I'm not a particularly emotional person but I've found the last couple of days quite tough; 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, gutted because it is 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, particularly winning the Ashes and going to South Africa and winning there.
"But we are also in a fairly unique position this summer - very rarely do you get all your bowlers fit, like we've got at this minute. Part of my strength and durability as a cricketer is that I've been fit on a lot of occasions and been available for selection.
"I felt like I deserved a spot in the team as would anyone else."
Broad has been the highest wicket-taker for England since 2018 with 87 scalps, 24 more than second-placed Anderson, with an average of 25.77. In the home matches played during this period, Broad still stands atop being the only bowler eith 50-plus wickets.
