ENG vs WI | No regret in leaving Stuart Broad out, asserts Ben Stokes

It didn’t take long for Ben Stokes to come under fire from the media after his decision to leave out veteran pacer Stuart Broad backfired big time in the first West Indian innings, with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood combining for 1/135 in the 44 overs they bowled. Eventually, although both the bowlers made up for the scratchy first innings performance with a valiant effort in the second, the ‘what could have been’ cloud hovered above England when John Campbell hit the winning run for the Windies, as the home side were clearly outbowled by the visitors. 

However, speaking in the presentation ceremony to Mike Atherton, Stokes affirmed that he did not regret leaving Broad out and said that it showed England in good light as it meant that that they had the depth in bowling to leave out an experienced campaigner like Broad. The stand-in skipper also expressed his happiness over the ‘fiery’ interview that Broad gave.

“I don't regret leaving Stuart Broad out, and we are fortunate to leave someone like him out. I would be upset if he didn't show the passion he did in that interview, and he's nowhere near done. If he plays in the second Test I hope he walks off with some wickets,” Stokes said in the post-match presentation.

Leaving Broad out aside, the all-rounder also came under fire for his decision to bat first on an overcast day one, but Stokes restated that the toss mattered for little. The 29-year-old conceded that getting bowled out for a paltry 204 in the first innings was what cost his side the Test match. 

“I would still have batted first, because first innings runs count. If we made 400-500 runs, we really would have taken it away. But it has been a massive learning curve for the batting line-up and the young guys.”

West Indies skipper Jason Holder, meanwhile, credited his bowlers for their outstanding effort and described the victory as one of Windies’ best ever wins. The all-rounder, who took a six-fer in the first innings, also heaped praise on Jermaine Blackwood, whose 95 helped Windies chase down a target of 200 with relative ease. 

“One of our best victories. Yesterday was the best day I had in Test cricket. All the bowlers toiled hard yesterday, and it was a hard-fought day of Test cricket.

“It would've been difficult to push for a win if we didn't bowl extremely well on a flat pitch. Blackwood was outstanding. Disappointing to see him get out on 95 but that's how he plays. Jermaine always tries and never short on effort, and today was his big moment.”

The two sides will have a quick turnaround before the second Test, which will be played from July 16 at Old Trafford.