England's Broad says he has been hit hard by Windies tour omission

Fast bowler Stuart Broad said on Sunday he had been hit hard by the decision to leave him out of the squad for England's tour of the West Indies.

Broad and James Anderson, England's all-time leading test wicket takers with 1,177 victims between them, were left out of the 16-man squad for the three-test tour. The selection panel comprising of Andrew Strauss and interim head coach Paul Collingwood said they were seeking a new approach after the team's 4-0 Ashes humiliation in Australia.

"I always try to find a positive in the hand that has been dealt to me," Broad wrote in a  Daily Mail column. "To be honest, though, that's been quite tricky this time because the decision to leave me out of the tour of West Indies has hit me pretty hard. Not to bring it up too much but it has affected my sleep. I said to my partner Mollie (King) one morning that my body felt sore. She suggested that would be stress.

"No, I can't pretend I am as good as gold, because I am not. It would be wrong to act like everything's OK." Strauss said he had spoken to Broad and Anderson after they were omitted and that he hoped they would understand the rationale behind the decision. However, Broad was struggling to understand why he had been left out. "I took 11 wickets in the final two Ashes matches, I have been test-match standard for a long time and, for the last eight years, you would say world class," Broad said.

"I could take being dropped if I had let my standards slip but facing up to being overlooked when they haven't is another thing altogether. That's why I was so outspoken when I was left out against West Indies in Southampton a couple of years ago. The same again here but with the added factor that I am struggling to put things into context. It's hard to do so when all you've had is a five-minute phone call and nothing else."

England's first test against the West Indies begins on March 8 in Antigua. The three-match series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship.