England leave out Stuart Broad and James Anderson for just third time in 169 Tests

The last time the tourists were Broad and Anderson-less was the MCG Test in the 2006/07 trip. England have not won an overseas Test without at least one of the two since December 2004

Stuart Broad and James Anderson were both missing from an England Test XI for just the third time in 169 matches when the Ashes series kicked off in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Broad was left out in favour of Jack Leach at the Gabba, meaning both he and his old sparring partner Anderson - who has not been risked for this game with the second match of the series at the Adelaide Oval in mind - will have to make do with fitness sessions and net bowling over the next five days.

It is just the third time since June 2008 that neither player has been selected for England in Tests - one or other of the duo, or both, have taken part in 166 out of the 168 games up until the start of this Ashes campaign.

It is a long time since England lined up in Australia without one of the two seamers, as well.

^{Stuart Broad joined James Anderson on the sidelines for the first Ashes Test (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)}

The last occasion the tourists were Broad and Anderson-less was the MCG Test in the 2006/07 trip. England have not won an overseas Test without at least one of the two since December 2004. 

"We're blessed with a very good seam attack and it was a very difficult decision to make," captain Joe Root said at the toss.

"It's five Test matches, all of those guys will be wanting to play a part and it's important they're ready to go."

Former England skipper Alastair Cook questioned the decision ahead of the start of play.

He told BT Sport: "I keep going through the Stuart Broad decision and I keep thinking 'is there more to it?'

"The most relieved man will be David Warner. All his preparation the past two or three weeks, his visulation of how to play against Broady."

And Steve Harmison - an Ashes winner - was also unsure why England had gone without both Anderson and Broad.

"You've got a green surface, you've got a Kookaburra ball which is said will swing more. Not only does it swing more, it stays good for longer," he said.

"I hope there is more to the injury and they've gone ultra-safe on that front. I hope [it's the case] rather than they've said 'these are the best four bowlers on this surface'."

Anderson is being saved for the second game of the series, according to England management (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

At 39 years old, Anderson - the most prolific pace bowler in Test history - is widely expected to be taking part in his last overseas Ashes series.

He has struggled with injuries over the course of the past two and a half years but remains a huge asset to the England team.

The ECB insisted on Tuesday that the Lancashire bowler was not left out for fitness reasons, but it is unsurprising that five Tests in six weeks represents too much of a physical burden. 

Broad, meanwhile, has had his own injury issues in 2021 - a calf tear sustained in the warm-up ahead of the second Test against India in the summer ruling him out of the rest of that campaign.

He was ready to play in this encounter in Brisbane but saw Leach's left-arm spin preferred as England opted against a five-man seam attack, his dominance over Australian opener David Warner not enough to win him the nod from Root and coach Chris Silverwood.

England's four-man bowling unit of Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Leach will now have to prove captain and coach right in their selection decisions.

Between them, the quartet have 85 caps, compared to the 315 held by Anderson and Broad between them.

There is an argument that it is about time that England moved on from the two men on whom they have come to rely for moments of inspiration with the ball over the past 15 years.

This week, their successors have their opportunity. 

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