England’s Stuart Broad was reportedly contemplating retirement after being overlooked for the recent Test series against West Indies.

The England quick was left out of the side that toured the Caribbean in March along with James Anderson after a string of poor team results. From their visit to India last year till the end of the 2021/22 Ashes, England failed to win a single series. The 4-0 drubbing in Australia heightened scrutiny on both the players and management, with head coach Chris Silverwood and director of cricket Ashley Giles departing their roles in the immediate aftermath.

In a bid to reset their Test fortunes, England had made a number of changes to their squad for the series against West Indies, dropping eight players who were picked for the Ashes. But the move did not result in a change in fortunes as England succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in the three-match series. After the tour, Joe Root decided to give up the captaincy, bringing an end to his five-year reign.

Andrew Strauss, the interim director of cricket, stressed before the Caribbean tour that it was not the end of the road for Anderson and Broad, but a report in The Telegraph states that the former was “close to retiring” and taking up a role with Sky – for whom he had worked as a pundit in recent years – after his omission. The 35-year-old would reportedly have considered called it quits had England won in the West Indies and Root stayed on as captain. The Telegraph also states that Ben Stokes is set to be named Test captain, and that he intends for both Broad and Anderson to play a full part in Test cricket this summer.

Broad hit out at the decision to leave him out of the side in a newspaper column in the Mail on Sunday, admitting that the call was one that was “difficult to comprehend”. Broad is expected to play his first County Championship game this year for Nottinghamshire against Worcestershire later this week.

England’s first Test assignment of the summer is against New Zealand in June.