Broadside! James Anderson expects axed fast bowler Stuart Broad to use his ire as extra motivation

Jimmy Anderson said he expected Stuart Broad to use his anger at being dropped from the Test side to fuel his performances later in the summer.

A day when England fell behind in the first Test against West Indies was overshadowed by an explosive interview in which Broad described the decision to leave him out of a home Test for the first time in eight years as ‘hard to understand’.

England’s attack struggled in his absence, allowing West Indies to reach 318 in reply to their first-innings 204. By stumps on day three, openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley had reduced the deficit by 15. 

Jimmy Anderson said he expects Stuart Broad to use his anger at being axed as extra fuel

Broad gave an explosive interview in which he said the decision was ‘hard to understand’

Anderson, who finished with three for 62, admitted: ‘It was odd not having him there at mid-off. But I’m sure he’ll use this as fuel to push on, and when he does get the chance he’ll perform brilliantly.

‘We’re fully aware that he’s not taken it very well, but it shows how desperate he is to be part our success moving forward.’

Broad, who needs only 15 more wickets to become the second Englishman after Anderson to reach 500 in Tests, was told of his omission at 6pm on the eve of the series opener against West Indies in Southampton.

‘I’m not a particularly emotional person, but I’ve found the last couple of days quite tough,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. You only get disappointed if you drop your phone and break your screen.

England’s attack struggled, with Shane Dowrich’s half-century helping West Indies to 318

‘I’ve been frustrated, angry, gutted – because it’s quite a hard decision to understand. I’ve probably bowled the best I’ve ever bowled in the last couple of years. I felt like it was my shirt having been in the team through the Ashes and going to South Africa and winning there.

‘It is hard to take, but also I’m quite pleased I feel frustrated and gutted and angry, because if I didn’t I’d have a different decision to make. So I don’t think I’ve got anything to prove – England know what I can do. The selectors know what I can do. And when I get that opportunity again, you can bet I’ll be on the money.’

Broad, who turned 34 last month, took 23 wickets at 26 apiece during last summer’s 2-2 Ashes draw, removing Australian opener David Warner seven times at a personal cost of just 35 runs. Earlier this year, he managed 14 wickets at just 19 apiece as England triumphed 3-1 in South Africa.

And veteran fast bowler Anderson admitted it was strange not having Broad by his side

Mark Wood has already admitted he was surprised to be selected for this game. And Broad, while acknowledging the stiff competition for seam-bowling places in the England team, now intends to win his place back for next week’s second Test in Manchester.

‘I’ll be doing as much as I can in the next week so make sure I’m available for Old Trafford,’ he said. ‘The chairman of selectors [Ed Smith] made it clear they will be picking pitch for pitch, and went with extra pace for the Ageas Bowl.

‘That means if I get to Old Trafford and it looks like it might seam from full of a length, I might have a chance.’

Durham quick Mark Wood has already admitted he was surprised to be selected for this game