“I’ve stopped trying to make sense of it”, James Anderson on his exclusion from England Test squad

Anderson was left out of the recently held Test series against West Indies.

By Salman Anjum - 12 Apr, 2022

Veteran England pacer James Anderson is still baffled by his omission from the Test squad, which recently toured West Indies for a three-Test series.

Anderson and Stuart Broad, England’s two all-time leading Test wicket-takers, were dropped from the West Indies Test series as the English side underwent a major overhaul after their humiliating 4-0 Ashes loss in Australia.

“I’ve stopped trying to make sense of it and just put it to one side," Anderson was quoted as saying by the local media.

“It was completely out of my control. I’ve got to focus on what I can control and that is bowling as well as I possibly can. Firstly that is [with Lancashire] these next two months, try and take as many wickets as I possibly can and see what happens from there," he added.

“Something like this, for me, it’s quite a big deal because it came out of the blue a little bit. I still feel like I’m bowling well.

“I was in the top 10 of the world rankings so I feel like I’m doing a good job for the team. I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer, not just on the field but off it. I’ve really enjoyed working with the other bowlers that are coming through," the 39-year-old further said.

James Anderson isn’t pleased with the way things are being handled as he said he would have loved to give his views regarding the Ashes debacle but nobody got in touch with him.

“After an Ashes defeat everything comes under scrutiny. There’s lots going on, people losing their jobs and stuff. I would have loved a sit-down, face-to-face, but obviously, that’s not always possible in these situations. I would have loved more than a five-minute phone call, but again that’s not always possible.

“It’s difficult because there is no one in those positions yet, there is an interim director of cricket and interim head coach. With stuff up in the air like that, I would expect to hear something once those positions are filled," Anderson remarked.

(With IANS inputs)

By Salman Anjum - 12 Apr, 2022

TAGS