Stuart Broad, England bowler, claimed he was not considering replacing Joe Root as Test captain, and said he had no “bitterness” against Root after being left out of the squad for their recent Caribbean tour.

Root’s five-year stint came to an end on Friday, and he said the position had taken a toll on him recently.

Former England captains have endorsed all-rounder Ben Stokes for the post, while Broad, 35, has been considered as a short-term replacement.

Broad, England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker after James Anderson, said he was focused on getting back into the England squad after being left out of the 1-0 loss to the West Indies.

“I am aware that my name has been bandied about as a possible successor to Joe as England captain, and I suppose that is because I am an experienced centrally contracted player who has spent a lot of time around the international game,” Broad wrote in his Mail on an international news outlet.

“However, it is not something I have considered since, first and foremost, I do not currently hold a shirt in the England Test team and my primary emphasis is on altering that by getting wickets for Nottinghamshire over the next few weeks.”

“I believe we are in a really unique position in terms of Test team selection right now, in that there are only two players whose names could be written in pen on the scorecard.”

“Joe Root is one of them, and Ben Stokes is the other”, he added.

Broad admitted that his recent omission irritated him, but that it had no bearing on his friendship with Root.

“People may be skeptical of my friendship with Joe because of recent events, but I’ve always been strong at distinguishing between friendship and business,” Broad remarked.

“That, in my opinion, is a professional sport, and it would never prevent me from sharing a drink of red wine or a round of golf with individuals who made such judgments.”