Stuart Broad is back in the England squad after missing the tour to Pakistan
(Picture: Getty Images)A year ago, Stuart Broad was left out of England’s Test squad to the Caribbean in a move that threatened to bring the his time in an international shirt to an end. Twelve months on and it is a decision he believes may have saved his career.
Broad is back on tour for England after missing the three-nil victory over Pakistan in December for the birth of his first child. His last game of cricket was in September, with the five-month break from the sport the longest he has had away from the sport since school.
“It’s been an incredible few months,” Broad said from Hamilton, where England’s final preparations for the two-Test series against New Zealand have been taking place.
“I feel very lucky and blessed for Baz [Brendon McCullum] to have let me miss that period away from cricket. To have been around for the birth in the first 12 weeks of Annabella’s life. It’s certainly life changing, that is for sure, it’s incredible.”
It has been an intense period of time for Broad and his family, as in the weeks after the birth of his daughter, his father-in-law died following a short illness.
“Because I had so much going on my side, I wasn’t wishing I was playing or anything,” Broad explained. “But it was great to stay in touch with the guys and how much they were enjoying the trip and the way they played was breathtaking for an England team away from home in the subcontinent….I was quite addicted to watching it.”
Broad’s time on the pitch has been a volatile affair over the past year. Following England’s Ashes humbling, Broad, along with James Anderson, was dropped for the tour of the West Indies as part of England’s “red-ball reset”. It was a decision that Broad wrote at the time made him angrier with each passing day.
England would go on to lose the three-match series one-nil in a turgid contest where the wickets were flat and the bowlers miserable, as England’s disastrous run in Test cricket stretched to one win in 17.
Joe Root resigned as captain and Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Rob Key were appointed as skipper, coach and director of men’s cricket respectively. ‘Bazball’ was born and Broad returned. Not only as a player, but as vice-captain.
“Arguably that decision saved my career,” reflected Broad. “If I had gone there on those pitches I’m not sure I’d be here now. So I class myself as - I don’t think it was designed like that by the selectors - but I count myself as pretty lucky.
“When I got left out I changed my mindset to just attacking a week at a time because it can be quite tiring looking too far ahead all the time and we got in a habit of doing that. It is so refreshing just to have a crack at the week in front of you and sign it off.
“Looking back a year I would not have chosen to miss the Caribbean but it was a good thing that happened for me. I never decided I was not going to play for England again but when I got back to playing for Notts I decided to give it everything, put my heart and soul into this week, try and get a win, sign it off, recover and move on.”
It is a mindset that has led Broad to enjoying some of the happiest moments of his career. He ranks the ten day build-up to this New Zealand series as his favourite, citing that England’s focus on creating a fun environment means that for the first time he has been able to see the country they are touring beyond the airport, ground and hotel that they are otherwise ferried between.
A red-ball specialist, he has no desire to join the T20 circuit, not even for a final payday as he enters the final years of his career at 35.
“Not for me,” Broad said plainly. “The idea of bowling 15 balls and getting slogged at my age doesn’t fill me with any excitement to be honest.
“I played in the best era. There is no doubt that my job satisfaction has been ten out of ten for experiences. There is no way you can replicate walking off after five days winning a Test match after the effort you have put in. It tests character, fitness and skill. It tests everything about you over a whole day, five days and then a series. The satisfaction in that and the memories you build are exceptional.
“Baz has jumped on the back of that and said if we can create experiences around those five days of cricket that are ten out ten then why would you be anywhere else?”
