 "Ben Stokes. Photo: @Englandcricket")
England's stand-in skipper Ben Stokes said that he stands by his decision of not picking the experienced pacer Stuart Broad in the first Test against West Indies which they lost by four wickets on Sunday.
The all-rounder said if he regrets his decision it will give a wrong message to the players who played the first game of the three-match series at the Ageas Bowl.
"I stand by my decision because if I did not it will give a wrong message to the other guys who we picked. It was a very tough call to leave a player like him but we made a decision before the ball was bowled," Stokes said after the conclusion of the match.
"I'd actually be very worried if he didn't show that passion towards not being selected. Someone who's played that many Test matches and got that many wickets -- to still see that desire and emotion is fantastic as a senior player in this team. If I was to regret that, it sends the wrong message to the other guys I picked," he added.
Stokes further said England have depth in their squad and they are fortunate enough to drop a player like Broad.
"We're in a fortunate position that we're able to leave someone out of Stuart's quality and I thought the interview he gave the other day was fantastic, the passion he showed," he said.
England are now aiming to win the rest of the games to clinch the series. The team is looking forward to learning from the mistakes of the opening game.
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"We have got two games left and we are going to set a target of winning this Test series. We do not want to draw a series and we know what we have to do to win the next two games. Obviously, we are disappointed and know the moments in the game where we lost it. But overall, efforts that everybody has shown after such a long period of time off the field was fantastic," Stokes said.
"I'm proud of each and everyone out there but we have to learn from the experiences from this game," he added.
The second Test of the series will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 16.
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