Broad not keen on England's captaincy in Tests
Courtesy
|| CF DESK ||
Flintoff reveals mental battle after car crash
23 Apr 25
Stuart Broad, an England bowler, claimed he was not considering replacing Joe Root as Test captain, and said he had no "bitterness" against Root after being left out of the squad for their recent Caribbean tour.
Root's five-year stint came to an end on Friday, and he said the position had taken a toll on him recently.
Former England captains have endorsed all-rounder Ben Stokes for the post, while Broad, 35, has been considered as a short-term replacement.
Broad, England's second-highest Test wicket-taker after James Anderson, said he was focused on getting back into the England squad after being left out of the 1-0 loss to the West Indies.
"I am aware that my name has been touted as a potential successor to Joe as England captain and I guess that is because I am an experienced centrally contracted player who has been around the international game a long time," Broad wrote in his Mail On Sunday column.
"However, it is not something I have given any thought to because firstly I am not currently in possession of a shirt within the England Test team and my focus is very much on changing that by taking wickets for Nottinghamshire over the next few weeks."
"I would argue we are in a fairly unique position as far as selection for the Test team goes right now in that there are only two players whose names you could write in pen on the scorecard. One of them is Joe Root, the other is Ben Stokes."
Broad said he was frustrated by his recent omission, but that it did not affect his relationship with Root.
"People may question my relationship with Joe given recent history but I've always been good at differentiating between friendship and business," Broad added.
"From my point of view, that's a professional sport and it would never stop me enjoying a nice glass of red wine or playing a round of golf with those who came to such decisions," Broad added.
