Think of an England seam bowling unit in Test cricket and one name which always takes center stage is that of the seasoned seamer Stuart Broad. However, that was not the case to be as the 138-Test veteran pacer did not make the cut in the series opener of the 3-match Test series against West Indies at Southampton.

Missing out on the first Test against Windies which has been underway since at the Ageas Oval has left the seasoned seamer fuming. Broad has expressed his disappointment over being overlooked for the Southampton Test and has felt “frustrated, angry and gutted” for England think tank's decision.

The 34-year-old fast bowler, who has played 138 Tests and is second behind James Anderson on the England's all-time Test wickets list, was left out of the team when England opted for a pace attack of James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in Southampton.

Broad's absence from the English lineup also marked at end to his long standing streak of playing the previous 51 home Tests, dating back to 2012 when he was rested in a dead match, and finished as the team’s top wicket-taker in both the 2019 Ashes series and the away series in South Africa.

“I’m not a particularly emotional person but I’ve found the last couple of days quite tough,” Broad said. “To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement - you get disappointed if you drop your phone and break your screen.

“I’ve been frustrated, angry and gutted because it’s quite a hard decision to understand. I’ve probably bowled the best I’ve ever bowled in the last couple of years. I felt like it was my shirt, having been in the team through the Ashes and going to South Africa and winning there.”

Broad said he was given “pretty positive feedback going forward” about his status in the squad after asking for clarification from national selector Ed Smith. England’s stand-in captain, Ben Stokes, had previously told Broad that selectors were “going with extra pace” at the Rose Bowl. Broad acknowledged that England has unusually strong field of candidates in the pace department.

“We’re in quite a unique position this summer. Very rarely do you get all your bowlers fit like we’ve got at the minute and all your bowlers ready to go,” he said in an interview on Sky Sports.

“I felt like I deserved a spot in the team, like everyone else. Chris Woakes, Sam Curran were bowling really well and probably deserve to be in the XI, too. So it is hard to take but also I’m quite pleased I feel frustrated and feel gutted and angry because if I didn’t I’d have a different decision to make.”

Stokes has said England is likely to rotate the bowling line-up during the three-match series against the West Indies, with the second and third Tests taking place in Manchester.