Stuart Broad has said he thinks his omission from England’s side from the first two Tests against Sri Lanka has been justified.
England wrapped up their first series win in Asia since 2012 on Sunday, as Jack Leach’s maiden Test five-wicket haul helped his side to a 57-run victory in Pallekele.
Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Broad said that the correct call had been made in leaving him out to accommodate the inclusion of a spin trio in the form of Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.
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England’s spinners starred in the second Test[/caption]
“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.
“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.”
James Anderson and Sam Curran, the two front-line seamers picked by England in Pallekele went wicketless as England’s spinners claimed 19 Sri Lankan wickets, with a superb run-out from Ben Stokes the other scalp.
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Broad – who made his Test debut in Sri Lanka in 2007 – did acknowledge that his absence during the series is unlikely to see him out of the side when England return to home shores next summer for the Ashes.
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“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.”
The third and final Test against Sri Lanka will begin on Friday in Colombo.
