Stuart Broad Reveals “Awkward Moment” With Glenn McGrath Before 1st Ashes Test | Cricket News

After being dropped from England playing XI for the Ashes 2021 opener in Brisbane, veteran England pacer Stuart Broad has spoken about his disappointment and said that he could have had a “positive influence” on the Gabba pitch. The one-sided Ashes opener went in favour of the home team — Australia — as the touring party suffered a nine-wicket loss on Saturday. Since the conclusion of the first Test, the England management is being criticised for its decision to keep experienced pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad out of the match. Broad, who has played 149 Test matches for England, wrote in his column for The Daily Mail about an “awkward” incident that happened with him just before the toss.

Broad wrote that former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath shook hands with him and congratulated him on his 150th Test match. In reply,  Broad told McGrath that he was not in the eleven. He described it as an “awkward moment”, one that produced an embarrassed smile and a chuckle.

“Despite the disappointment, I did see the funny side of things when seconds before the toss, Glenn McGrath approached me and shook my hand between high catches I was practicing on the outfield. ‘Congratulations on 150, mate, it’s a special effort, have a great game,’ he said. I thanked him but had to tell him I wasn’t in. An awkward moment but one which raised an embarrassed smile and a chuckle,” wrote Stuart Broad in his column for The Daily Mail on Sunday.

The 35-year-old described his disappointment on being dropped from the XI.

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“Of course, I was disappointed not to play but I also realise this series is a marathon and not a sprint. Never have five Test matches been as bunched up as this and it will be exhausting, so realistically I don’t think any seamer will play all five. It would be wrong in this scenario to kick up a stink. On the flip side, I love Ashes cricket, love bowling at the Gabba, and feel like I could’ve had a positive influence on a pitch like that,” he added.

The second Test of the five is a day-night fixture that will start from December 16 at The Adelaide Oval.