James Anderson dropped for third West Indies Test

He may not be happy about it, but James Anderson has been dropped from the England squad to face West Indies - for his own good.

The pace ace was very vocal about wanting to play in the last clash of the three-Test series having taken nine wickets at 26 in the two matches so far. Those figures, however, don’t tell the whole story with ‘Jimmy’ looking every inch the side’s top bowler and, with the Windies top four appearing brittle at best, he would have fancied himself for a big haul at Edgbaston.

But keen to keep their top man fresh for this summer’s crucial series against South Africa, the selectors have decided to rest their best bowler.

“We have been made to work hard for our two victories so far and are delighted to have secured the series,” national selector Geoff Miller said.

“However we know that we will need to continue to play some good cricket if we want a third win against the West Indies this week.

“James Anderson will miss this Test as we look to manage his workload ahead of a busy period of cricket this summer and beyond, a decision which is in the best interests of the team and the player himself.”

Earlier, the bowler, who has taken 267 wickets in 72 Tests, used a column in a British newspaper to make it clear he didn’t want a break from doing what he does best - taking wickets.

“It would be extremely disappointing for me to miss out,” Anderson said. “It would be different if I felt fatigued or was struggling with an injury. But I believe I am fit to play - and while I am fit to play I want to play in every England game I can.

“Five days of rest is more than enough to be ready to play again.” Anderson’s place will be taken by either Steven Finn or Graeme Onions for the dead rubber in Birmingham, starting on Thursday. The move to rest the 29-year-old further highlights the problem of fixture congestion just a week after Kevin Pietersen retired from international limited-overs cricket.

ENGLAND SQUAD: Strauss (C), Bairstow, Bell,

Bresnan, Broad, Cook, Finn, Onions, Pietersen, Prior (wk), Swann, Trott