Stuart Broad has hit out at his “unjust” omission from England’s Test squad, describing the “five-minute” phone call from Andrew Strauss that delivered the news as a case of being “blindsided” and hinting at thoughts of retirement.
Broad and his new-ball partner, Jimmy Anderson, were the highest-profile players left out of the squad to face West Indies in March as England – now under the interim management of Strauss – responded to the 4-0 Ashes defeat by culling eight players.
Though Broad and Anderson are in the autumn of their careers at 35 and 39 respectively – and Strauss has made it clear they will be considered for selection in the summer – neither could be said not to merit a touring berth on performance. Certainly the former, writing in the Mail on Sunday, has taken the news badly.
Broad, who took 11 wickets in his last two Tests in Australia, wrote: “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.
“That’s why I was so outspoken when I was left out against West Indies in Southampton a couple of years ago. It felt unjust. The same again here but with the added factor that 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.”
Theories abound that the dual omission will afford Joe Root, a struggling Test captain, greater opportunity to run the dressing room in the Caribbean without two dominant personalities present. But while Broad has often been honest and outspoken about England’s shortcomings in public, he is unaware of any such issues.
He said: “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.”
Broad, who claims to have lost sleep over the situation, has said he will now wait to hold talks with the next full-time director of men’s cricket – currently being sought by Strauss, whose return is temporary – but is clearly pondering whether to draw stumps on a Test career of 152 caps and 537 wickets.
He added: “As soon as the new regime is announced, it will be important for me to get into a room with them and ask what they see the future looking like. Their opinions are now everything to me.
“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.
“What I don’t want to do, though, is pick up a cricket ball for a couple of weeks. I will do so when I have decided whether to jump at the latest challenge set for me.”
