England bowler Stuart Broad says the decision to leave him out of the West Indies tour has left him “confused and angrier with each passing day”.
The 35-year-old took 13 wickets from three Tests during the recent 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia and is England’s second-highest wicket-taker with 537 from 152 matches.
Their leading wicket-taker James Anderson, 39, has also been left out.
“The decision has hit me pretty hard,” Broad said in his column for the Mail.
Mark Wood (17) was the only England bowler to take more wickets than Broad during the Ashes tour.
In the aftermath, England head coach Chris Silverwood, director of cricket Ashley Giles and assistant coach Graham Thorpe all left their roles.
Andrew Strauss has temporarily taken over from Giles and has appointed Paul Collingwood as England’s interim head coach for March’s West Indies tour.
“The support I have received elsewhere tells me how other people feel,” Broad said. “For example, I have had more WhatsApps over the last few days than when I took eight for 15 to beat the Australians at Trent Bridge in 2015.
“I hopped on the Tube in London the following day and people were asking ‘What on earth is going on?’ I couldn’t explain it. How do you?”
When announcing the squad to tour the West Indies, Strauss said “this does not mean the end” for Broad and Anderson’s international careers.
“Right now, I feel gutted,” said Broad. “Do I need to prove myself again? In my mind, I’ve nothing to prove.
“I am a proven performer, so it is now about the English cricketing summer and mentally and physically targeting the home series against New Zealand in June.”
England will arrive in Antigua on February 25 and play a four-day warm-up match starting on March 1 followed by three Tests.
The first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua starts on March 8. (BBC)