England’s record wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and former vice-captain Jos Buttler have all been dropped from next month’s Test tour of the West Indies as the post-Ashes cull took a dramatic turn.
An off-field clearout after this winter’s 4-0 thrashing Down Under has already accounted for head coach Chris Silverwood, assistant Graham Thorpe and director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles and Tuesday’s squad announcement brought even more seismic changes.
A surprisingly ruthless selection by the interim management team of Sir Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood, who were assisted by lead scout James Taylor, has kicked off the much-discussed ‘red-ball reset’ with eight players dropped following the debacle in Australia.
While Buttler’s form made him a prime candidate, pushing their two most experienced players towards the precipice is a striking move.
Strauss said their longer-term futures would be decided by Silverwood’s successor as Test coach but there was a notable lack of assurances for the pair, alongside a stated desire to “draw a line” and start “a journey” – both of which sound ominous for the veterans.
Dawid Malan, Sam Billings, Dom Bess, Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed are the other axed players, with four uncapped names in the panel.
Yorkshire seamer Matt Fisher is a direct beneficiary of the rebooted bowling attack, Durham opener Alex Lees has a chance to audition for a top-order spot, while Lancashire pair Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson also travel.
“With the start of a new cycle, it has allowed the selection panel to refresh the Test squad with a particular focus on competing away from home,” said Strauss, who was responsible for a similar reset in white-ball cricket in 2015.
That also saw Anderson and Broad taken out of the set-up and culminated in World Cup glory four years later.
He went on: “We felt that it was time to draw a line after the Ashes defeat, look forward and give some impetus with an influx of new players.
“In respect of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, I want to emphasise this does not mean the end for them as England players.
“We feel that it is important to look at some exciting new bowling potential and give some added responsibility to other players who have featured previously.
“No one doubts the quality and experience that James and Stuart bring to the England set-up.
“It will be up to the new managing director and permanent head coach to decide on whether they will be involved this summer and beyond.
“This selection of this squad is the start of a process and a journey to get England Test cricket back to where it needs to be – and the hard work starts now.”
Anderson, 39, has 640 wickets in a Test career dating back 169 games and almost 19 years – more than any other pace bowler in history – while 35-year-old Broad boasts 537 scalps in 152 appearances.
It is now very possible that those remarkable numbers will not be added to.
Both men played reduced roles against Australia, playing three games apiece out of five, but were also responsible for some of England’s better moments.
Anderson topped the bowling averages with his eight wickets costing just 23.37 apiece, while Broad took the tourists’ first five-for of the trip in Sydney.
A number of marginal calls would have been debated as the 16-man group was pieced together, with Dawid Malan arguably most unlucky.
He was England’s second-best batter behind captain Joe Root while the Ashes remained live before tailing off badly, and missed the premature birth of his first child while playing the fifth Test.
Sam Billings, a late call-up at wicketkeeper for the final match in Hobart also performed reasonably in a surprise debut but it is no real shock to see Surrey’s Ben Foakes, harshly dropped in the Windies during his first spell as a Test cricketer, belatedly recalled.
Among those retained, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton are perhaps fortunate. Woakes performed well below both Anderson and Broad and will be 33 when the first Test in Antigua begins, while Overton was a non-playing squad member and did not appear close to forcing his way in.
England have chosen only two openers – Lees and the incumbent Zak Crawley – meaning they will get a chance to nail down some kind of partnership, with alternatives such as James Bracey, Dom Sibley and Rob Yates not summoned.
Like Overton, Essex middle-order batter Dan Lawrence holds his spot by virtue of not seeing any action in Australia, while others saw their stock plummet. Ollie Pope was one of those whose struggles were most exaggerated, but he has been retained despite a worrying lack of scores in recent times.
Root’s new-look England depart on February 24 and have one warm-up match in Antigua to prepare themselves for action against a West Indies side who typically over-perform in this series.
PA Media
