Experienced England bowler James Anderson has finally broken his silence after being dropped for the West Indies series. Anderson, along with fellow pace bowler Stuart Broad, was dropped from the series, and the veteran hopes that he will be back soon in the action.
“I’m praying this isn’t the end. I’ve got one more go at digging deep. I’ve got a lot left to offer – I’ve still got the hunger and passion to play. It was a shock and a disappointment to get that call but having processed it, it’s important I try to focus on the stuff I can control and that’s showing people what I can do with the ball in my hand,” Anderson said on the Tailenders Podcast, as reported by ICC.
READ HERE: India will struggle if Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma don’t score, says Mohammad Hafeez
“There is likely to be a new director of cricket and new head coach so I just hope that whatever decision is made, it is talked about in the way that it should be. Another frustration for me is that it was just a five-minute phone call – it doesn’t really clear much up for you,” James Anderson further said, as quoted by the Guardian.
On the other hand, earlier on Thursday, England captain Joe Root has insisted that both the pacers are “obviously disappointed” but assured that this is not the “end for them.”
“I’ve spoken to Stuart and Jimmy and they’re obviously disappointed, angry, and Stuart in particular has voiced that quite publicly. And you’d expect that. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for both of them. At no point – it’s been made very clear – no one is saying this is the end for them,” Root stated, as quoted by the Guardian.
READ HERE: Gary Kirsten all set to work with Hardik Pandya
Meanwhile, former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has also added that he is shocked with James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s omission from the Test squad as well.
“I can see why English cricket and selectors were a little bit frustrated they weren’t able to have the same impact from a bowling perspective as the Australians did during the recent Ashes series,” Watson said on the ICC Review show. “But are the next breed of English bowlers coming through better than Broad and Anderson right now? In my eyes, no. So, I would have been picking them for the West Indies.”
