Ashes 2021-22 Being Left Out Of The Team In The First Test Was Less Of A Surprise, Says Stuart Broad

England pacer Stuart Broad has said that he was not surprised of being left out of the playing XI in the first Test at the Gabba because he was out of the five-match Test series against India at home after the first game. His side lost by nine wickets on Saturday, December 11 and he and his new-ball partner James Anderson didn’t feature in the team.

Both Broad and Anderson were rested for the first Test keeping in mind the long series ahead and the workload management. Anderson wasn’t rested in the four Tests against India earlier this year as Broad got injured after the first game at the Trent Bridge.

The last game of that series was postponed after the outbreak of COVID19 in the Indian camp. The Joe Root-led is currently behind in that series by 1-2 with the last game will be played in July 2022. Coming back to the Ashes, England had a horrendous start on the first day of the game at the Gabba. Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat first on the lively surface. They were bowled out for 147 runs.

In reply, Australia piled up 425 runs as England bowlers struggled to apply pressure on their opposition. Jack Leach was the most expensive bowler with an economy of more than 7 RPO.

The absence of Broad and Anderson, who have picked more than 1100 wickets, was felt and the move of excluding the veterans was criticized by the fans and the cricket pundits. Meanwhile, Broad has said that he wasn’t surprised with the exclusion but feels he could have had an impact on the Gabba wicket.

Stuart Broad explain his exclusion in the first Test

“I’ve been left out on numerous occasions, and sometimes it comes as a real surprise. This was less of a surprise, maybe because I wasn’t in the team for the previous series against India due to a calf injury. People were suggesting I’d been dropped but that is factually incorrect,” says Stuart Broad.

“It would be wrong in this scenario to kick up a stink. On the flip side, I love Ashes cricket, love bowling at the Gabba, and feel like I could’ve had a positive influence on a pitch like that.”

England is currently trailing by 0-1 in the five-match series and will be looking to bounce back in the pink-ball game in Adelaide starting form Thursday, December 16.