James Anderson ‘praying’ for England recall after being ignored for WI tour: I just want to keep bowling

England pacesetter James Anderson has broken his silence on the West Indies tour and said he hopes to reclaim his place in the Test squad. Anderson expressed his frustration at the five-minute call he received from the England board to inform him of his fall from the Test side.

The veteran Pacer also pointed out that the team’s future director and head coach should have an in-depth interview before making any further decisions. Eight players – Anderson, Dom Bess, Sam Billings, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan – who appeared in the recent Ashes series missed out on selection for the Test series against the West Indies.

“I pray this is not the end. I have one more try to dig deep. I still have a lot to offer – I still have the hunger and the passion to play. It was a shock and a disappointment to get that call but after processing it it’s important that I try to focus on the things that 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.

“There will likely be a new cricket director and a new head coach, so I just hope that whatever decision is made, it’s talked about the way it should be. Another frustration for me is that it was only a five-minute phone call, which doesn’t really enlighten you much,” Anderson said, as quoted by the Guardian.

Earlier Thursday, England captain Joe Root insisted both pacers were “obviously disappointed” but reassured it was not the “end for them”.

“I’ve spoken to Stuart and Jimmy and they’re obviously disappointed, angry and Stuart in particular has been quite open about it. And you would expect that. I have great respect for both of them. At no point was it made very clear that nobody is saying this is the end for them,” Root said, as quoted by the Guardian.