Ben Stokes Stands by his Choice to drop Broad from Team, during the First Test

English all-rounder, Ben Stokes, who was the stand-in skipper for England during the first Test against the West Indies, has commented that “he does not regret excluding Stuart Broad, from the side for the game”.

Stokes, who is leading the side for the first time, came under criticism after the team’s four-wicket loss against West Indies. Broad himself had earlier publicly criticized the team selection last week. He was also criticized for electing to bat first, in overcast conditions after winning the toss.

Speaking on the matter, Stokes commented that “if given another chance he would have still elected to bat first”.

Stokes feels that “if his team had set a first-innings target of 400 or more, then they had a
good chance of winning the game”.

Speaking about dropping Broad from the side, Stokes commented that, “he felt England was lucky to have enough options in the bowling attack, to have someone of the quality of Broad rested”.

Stokes commented that “he hoped that Broad would be selected for the second Test and that he would be successful with the ball”.

The second Test would see the return of regular English captain, Joe Root, who will take over the role from Stokes, for the rest of the series.