England Underestimated Windies, Committed Mistake To Leave Out Broad In Southampton Test: Nasser Hussain

While Hussain hailed the West Indies for their resilient performance, the former England skipper was not too happy with England leaving out Broad for the crucial opening Test of the three-match series.

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has criticized the hosts in their team selection for the Southampton Test against the Windies by stating that the Ben Stokes-led side made an error by overlooking experienced seamer Stuart Broad in the series opener at Ageas Bowl which the visitors won by four wickets. The Windies who are the current holders of the Wisden Trophy (Eng vs WI Test Series) went a step closer to retaining the trophy after the Southampton win put them 1-0 ahead in the 3-match Test series. While Hussain hailed the West Indies for their resilient performance, he wasn't too happy over England missing out on a trick by not picking Broad for the crucial opening Test of the three-match series. "Hats off to West Indies for a super performance, but I'd like to ask England one question. If this had been the first game of the Ashes, would they have left out Stuart Broad?" Hussain wrote in his column for Daily Mail. "It makes me wonder if they've made a mistake they keep making against this West Indies side. They underestimated them, despite the Wisden Trophy currently being in possession of Jason Holder. "But if Broad had been playing, Stokes might well have chosen to bowl on Wednesday morning – and I believe West Indies would have been dismissed cheaply. Without Broad in the side, the decision at the toss becomes 50-50, as we saw on Sunday, when England might have won had they taken their chances. "Instead, they've gone 1-0 down to West Indies for the second series in a row," he added. Meanwhile, stand-in captain Ben Stokes stated he stands by his decision to not play Broad in this Test despite being on the losing side. "The interview he (Broad) gave was fantastic. For someone who has played over 100 Tests, to see the desire and passion he showed and the answers he gave – if he wasn't like that, then I'd be worried," Stokes said after the end of the match. "We made a decision based around thinking pace was going to stand us a better place. Stuart is a fantastic bowler. He understands the reasons why," he added. The two teams will now lock horns in the second Test match which gets underway at Old Trafford in Manchester