(Reuters) – Stuart Broad has said the decision not to select him for England’s tour of the West Indies last year helped save his test career.
Broad was a surprise omission alongside bowling partner James Anderson for the series, which England lost 1-0 in the final act of Joe Root’s captaincy.
The tour of the Caribbean came in the midst of a period of upheaval for England, with coach Chris Silverwood and director of cricket Ashley Giles sacked after a 4-0 Ashes series loss against Australia.
Root, meanwhile, stood down from the captain’s role soon after the loss to the West Indies with Broad returning to the fold for this month’s two-test series against New Zealand.
“Arguably that decision saved my career,” said Broad.
“If I had gone there, on those pitches, I’m not sure I’d be here now. I don’t think it was designed like that by the selectors, but I count myself as pretty lucky.”
England’s fortunes have changed markedly since, with Rob Key taking over as director of cricket and Ben Stokes appointed as captain under the coaching of New Zealander Brendon McCullum.
Broad missed a 3-0 series win over Pakistan in December due to the birth of his daughter, but has returned for the series against New Zealand – which begins in Hamilton on Thursday – buoyed by the McCullum’s approach.
“I think Baz has got a great mentality for the group and life, making sure that memories are a very important part of playing for England,” he said.
“This has been the most fun environment I’ve been part of and that’s because that’s Baz’s almost number one priority.
“He knows test cricket in the world game is under a bit of pressure. It’s much easier to go and play a bit of T20 in a franchise and there’s no pressure on you as a player particularly.
“If you can make everything around (test cricket) a 10 out of 10 in the sense of being in a group and being tight and enjoying each others company and enjoying your experience then it really does make test cricket the pinnacle.”
(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
