England pacer James Anderson unhappy about not getting an explanation for omission from Test squad

By IANS

LONDON: England fast bowling legend James Anderson, who has not been called up for national duty for the recent series defeat in West Indies, is still baffled by his exclusion from the Test team. He has claimed that he has failed to receive an explanation for being dropped.

Anderson along with his long-time opening partner Stuart Broad has been excluded from the team for the last few Test matches.

According to reports in the English media, the national team setup is undertaking a “red-ball reset” and it appears that the two pacers are being kept out of the team as part of the reset process.

“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,” said the 39-year-old Anderson.

“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,” he said.

Anderson, clearly unhappy over the way things are being handled, said he would have loved to give his views regarding the Ashes debacle. But he said nobody has 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.”