No, not at all. I actually said earlier in the thread that I didn't think Broad should have been playing last summer, and I agree that the long-term should be a secondary consideration in Test cricket, because each Test match is just that and the best XI should be selected. I am not trying to manufacture anything - he averages what he averages (couldn't tell you what it is tbh) this has nothing to do with anything. If Broad was still bowling constantly poorly (has had an up and down series IMO) then it wouldn't change my belief that Vaughan did the right thing.
Was Vaughan first and then Pietersen later TBF. I'm never in favour of something being done, as I say, to try to prop-up a player who clearly isn't up to it. If it's someone who's established and clearly just needs to get back on his game, that's a different matter.
I care about individual feats, course I do, everyone who has read my posts in CC over the last three years knows I worship Freddie & KP. But my primary concern will always be England winning, as such if a game is pretty much wrapped up, then letting a bowler whose head has dropped take a couple of easy poles strikes me as intelligent man-management of that guy, and you'd imagine the other bowlers should be team players enough to deal with it.
I'm not bothered about other bowlers. I'm bothered about someone who's done poorly being shown, as clearly as possible, to have done poorly. Selection is not done in a separate World - selectors listen to what people say, and much as Broad has enjoyed massive favour with the masses, I think that could conceivably be different had he averaged 70 over his first 10 Tests.
See I might not think he should have been in the team, but he was and clearly was going to be. So there is no point debating the merits of the strategy, fact is they stuck broad in thinking he would develop, so you have to therefore, as a captain, do what is necessary to achieve this.
The point is that the whole strategy is errant - thus, every stage of it is not excused. That you did not start or design it does not excuse in any way.
Disagree about T20 as well - a century or what not will have a greater impact in T20 than an ODI a lot of the time.
Yes but such individual feats are inevitably far smaller and rarer.
Well only he could tell us for sure, but gaining confidence obviously doesn't equate to an instant improvement. Losing confidence would have a more quickly visible detrimental effect IMO, but you could see during the ODI series against South Africa that Broad hadn't let his head drop in spite of a highly disappointing summer in Tests for him. If he had been badly managed then he would surely have been at a low ebb at this point. Instead he has reinvigorated himself and showed some real promise at points this winter.
I also like to see the self-belief of players tested TBH. If you react to adversity by resolving to better yourself, that's far better than having the cracks slightly papered-over and having everyone assure you that you just need to keep doing the same thing and just play a bit more. If, on the other hand, you mope and feel sorry for yourself about how bad it's going, that tends to suggest you're not going to be very viable as a long-term option.
One of the biggest compliments always paid Broad is his attitude and how he doesn't easily get down.