England’s new Managing Director Rob Key has confirmed that James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s international exile on the recent tour of the Caribbean was only temporary and that they are available for selection this summer.
Key announced his new captain Ben Stokes on Thursday and spoke for the first time since taking the job earlier this month.
He said he and Stokes agreed on the return of Anderson, 39, and Broad, 35, after they were unceremoniously dropped for the tour of the West Indies, which England lost 1-0.
In his previous job as a pundit, Key did not object to that decision, but his mantra as MD is that England should simply always pick their best team. That includes considering the veteran duo for the First Test against New Zealand on June 2 at Lord’s.
“I rang Jimmy and Broady on the Sunday when I got announced at Easter time,” said Key. “I just said to them, ‘obviously there are going to be coaches coming in, but for my money, you guys are available for selection for that first Test match’.
“Then when I met Ben, one of the first things he said was ‘I want the best team out there and Jimmy and Broady are a part of that, in my opinion. If they’re the best bowlers, then they play. That’s it.’ I said I agree. And then we moved on.
“Before that, I’d met Broady in London. I told him exactly how I see him really there’s not much to say other than if you’re one of the best bowlers in the country then you play. If they think that you are one of the best to get in that 11, then you play.”
