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England fast bowler Stuart Broad. (Image: AFP)
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“We’ve seen in the first two Test matches the amount of output the seamers have had and the amount of spin the spinners have been getting. I don’t think I’d have made a particularly big difference to this England side in these conditions, to be perfectly honest,” Broad told Sky Sports.
“It’s never easy not playing but it is easier when you can honestly think it’s probably the right decision and if you were at the top of the tree it’s the decision you’d make.”
“Chris Woakes and I were sat mixing the drinks and Jimmy was bowling a lovely spell, the bowler who probably moves it most of any bowler in the world and it wasn’t really moving. Woakesy and I just said, ‘well, if he’s not moving it then we’d have been useless on this, wouldn’t we?’”
England have been dominant in the two Tests against Sri Lanka, winning them both to register their first away series win since 2016. And Broad said that while he would love being involved in the third Test, he has taken the time out from the side to work on his fitness, and the technical aspects of his bowling.
“I’ve said whether I play in Sri Lanka or not, I was delighted to be on the tour because it would be easy to say, ‘ah he doesn’t want to come and mix the drinks’ but I do, I want to be part of this England squad and why not leave Sri Lanka in a better place than when you arrived?
“I’ve worked very hard on my fitness, I’m feeling fresh, I’m feeling fit and I’ve found some technical stuff that’s really improving me. So far, so good really.”
Broad, who has 433 career Test wickets, also said he is not worried about his exclusion from the side having any bearing on whether he will be involved with the team in Australia next summer.
“I don’t think that me not playing in Galle or Kandy will affect whether I play against Australia next summer. I don’t think that’s overly relevant really,” said Broad. “You’ve got to be ready to play the next Test because you never know what will happen but also, why not try and improve yourself as a cricketer?”
The third Test between England and Sri Lanka begins on November 23 in Colombo.
First Published: November 20, 2018, 2:23 PM IST
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