"It was a little bit of a surprise, obviously" - Nasser Hussain on Anderson-Broad being dropped from the England squad for WI series
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has expressed his surprise over the pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad being dropped for the Test series against West Indies.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), led by Andrew Strauss, made the ruthless call of dropping the two veteran seamers to explore their options for the future.
The pair were last seen in the Ashes, where England suffered a 4-0 drubbing. Following the debacle Down Under, the ECB dismissed head coach Chris Silverwood and assistant coach Graham Thorpe.
Former all-rounder Paul Collingwood will guide the team on their trip to the Caribbean.
We've named our squad of 16 for our three-match Test tour of the Caribbean ๐
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Terming Strauss' decision to drop Anderson and Broad as cruel, Hussain said:
"It was a little bit of a surprise, obviously. There was talk about maybe one of them being left out, maybe not both. So, it was a bit cruel from Andrew Strauss.
"With every selection, there has to be short-term goals, which are to select the XI for the next game and win that game, and obviously some long-term goals like changing the balance of the attack, getting new people, or team culture. So, you have to balance the two."
England have struggled in the longest format of the game as of late. The Three Lions have only secured one win out of their last 14 Tests.
Speaking about the possibility of Broad and Anderson calling it a day due to the decision by Strauss, Hussain added:
"The decision of it being the end of the road for Broad and Anderson lies in their hands now. They are very proud cricketers. It is not easy at their age to have a massive gap. I really feel for Broad and Anderson, I think they deserved a little better.
"The toil, the pain, the sweat, the hours in the gym to get to where they are. They know they have not got long left, it may be a matter of just a few months, a year maybe. They would want to play every cricket possible."
England will play a three-match Test series against West Indies starting on March 8. The Three Lions lost the recently concluded T20I series by a close 3-2 margin.
"I hope that this is not the end, they deserve better" - Nasser Hussain
With more than 1200 wickets between the pair, Hussain feels that Broad and Anderson might not take their axing from the squad well.
The former England captain expressed his sympathy for the pair and hopes to see them bowl in their home country for one last time before calling it a day. Hussain concluded:
"They are proud men. They may say 'thank you very much, we'll go into other things now'. But, I hope that this is not the end. They deserve better. From what I've seen, they like to have a point to prove. I would love to see them in England in the summer. I know that Broad and Anderson with a point to prove are a real handful.
"If they were a dwindling force, I would say it was time to move on but they're bowling as well as ever. Some opposition batters would be pleased they are not on the team sheet."
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England will play three Tests each against New Zealand and South Africa along with a one-off Test against India in their 2022 home season.