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England pacer Stuart Broad said that being dropped for the West Indies series last year has extended his time playing for his national team.
After having a lengthy paternity leave following the birth of his first child, the 36-year-old is back with the Test team in New Zealand and is ready to go in Thursday's series opener at Mount Maunganui, but a year ago it appeared that his England days may have been coming to an end. If he hadn't been dropped for England's tour of the West Indies, Stuart Broad believes his England career could have been permanently over. Following a humiliating 4-0 Ashes loss in Australia, Sir Andrew Strauss took the unexpected choice to bench Broad and James Anderson for a 'red-ball reset' Caribbean trip. The experiment of removing the two most prolific wicket-takers in the nation's history backfired, and the pair were warmly welcomed back by the new regime of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum after England lost the series finale following two tedious draws. Broad was disappointed by his omission at the time, but now he sees that avoiding himself on batting-friendly pitches in Barbados and Antigua was a gift in disguise. "Arguably that decision saved my career. If I had gone there on those pitches I'm not sure I'd be here now," Broad was quoted as saying by Skysports.com. "I don't think it was designed like that by the selectors but I count myself as pretty lucky. Looking back a year I would not have chosen to miss the Caribbean but it was a good thing that has happened for me. When I got left out I changed my mindset to just attacking a week at a time," he added. "It can be quite tiring looking too far ahead all the time and we got in a habit of doing that. I'm very relaxed now. If and when I get selected, I will give it everything, charge in, sign it off and go again. It's a big year for English cricket and the way this team is operating, it's exciting to be a part of," Broad said. As he enter his 17th year as an international player, Broad's close encounter with his own cricketing mortality has made him cherish his Test career even more. He and Anderson have both embraced the changes brought about by Stokes and McCullum with enthusiasm, starting with the team-building exercises behind the scenes and continuing with the emphasis on having fun on the field. "I feel very lucky to have been around for the birth and the first 12 weeks of Annabella's life, it's certainly life-changing that is for sure, but I watched that tour intensely," Broad said. "It was really entertaining. I was quite addicted to watching and see what was coming. The way they played was breath-taking for an England team away from home in the subcontinent," he added. Rehan Ahmed, 18, who made his debut in Karachi as the so-called "nighthawk," captured his attention in particular. Broad was first considered for the role, which entails a tailender being elevated to swing wildly and change the match's flow, but he hasn't had the opportunity. "I sent Baz (McCullum) a text when he did that, I was quite impressed with his start. The whole dream of a nighthawk is hitting your first ball for six but he crunched his down the ground for four then got out slogging so they were both big ticks," Broad stated. (ANI)
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