James Anderson and Stuart Broad
Veteran England pacer James Anderson on Friday opined that while Stuart Broad is frustrated at being left out for the first Test against West Indies at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, the omission shows the strength of the English pace attack.
Speaking after the stumps on day 3 of the opener, Anderson said, "He (Broad) is frustrated and disappointed to be left out, but this shows the strength we have in our bowling lineup and it is good for England that Stuart is disappointed to be left out of the team."
"He is desperate to be in this team and be a part of our success, so it's a huge positive for the group going forward," Anderson added.
Earlier on the same day, at the start of the proceedings, Broad told Sky Cricket that he was disappointed at being left out for the match and that he found it hard to understand. The Southampton Test is the first time Broad has missed a home Test since 2012.
"I found out about 6 pm that night before the game. Stokes told me England would be going with an extra pace on these conditions. I spoke to Ed Smith last night, he said it was picked purely for this pitch. I wanted clarifications on the future going forward and I was given pretty positive feedback in going forward," Broad said.
"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."
