Would be furious if I were James Anderson: Ian Botham

England selectors dropped James Anderson insisting that he was being omitted to overcome several minor injury niggles rather than on grounds of squad rotations © Getty Images

By CricketCountry Staff

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London: Jun 5, 2012

 

Ian Botham hit out at England Cricket Board’s decision to drop their best Test bowler James Anderson for the third and final Test against West Indies.

 

The former England skipper said it made no sense to rest Anderson, especially when he was at the peak of his career right now.

 

“Jimmy Anderson being rested just two matches into the international summer really takes the biscuit. Have people forgotten that the job of an international cricketer is to play cricket and those supporting them are supposed to get them on the park not take them off it?”

 

“You put in all those hours at your club, at your county, in the gym, practising your skills, honing them to a tee until you become the very best in the world at what you do. And then someone comes along and tells you, ‘sorry Jimmy, you can’t play today,’ WHAT?” Botham wrote in his column for the Daily Mirror.

 

“I’d be absolutely furious if I were Jimmy, and from what I gather that is exactly what he feels, and I don’t blame him. Jimmy has stated quite categorically that he is fit, so now someone else is supposed to know his body better than him. This is complete madness,” he said.

 

“If I were Jimmy I’d go up to those pen pushers in the ECB, toss them the ball and tell them to run in and bowl the West Indies out. Let’s see how they get on with that,” Botham added.