'I’m quite happy with this selection' - Michael Vaughan opines on Anderson and Broad axing England's Test squad

Former England captain Michael Vaughan is convinced with the new look of England’s 16-man Test squad for the upcoming West Indies Tests. England’s interim management team of Strauss and Paul Collingwood, assisted by lead scout James Taylor dropped the veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad from the Test squad after a dismal performance in the recent Ashes in Australia.

England faced a 0-4 suffering in the hands of the Australian side and head coach Chris Silverwood was sacked from his role as well. There was no place for Jos Buttler who hasn’t had the same impact as he has had in the limited-overs format despite being given a long rope and a lot of new names have got a look in as well.

Sometimes high-class senior bowlers can be an issue: Michael Vaughan

Vaughan opined that England is looking forward to building a new culture without the experienced hands of Anderson and Broad and felt that it was a strong message in terms of getting the England side on the right track soon in Tests. He also backed the decision of skipper Joe Root to move away from the duo in the vision of long term success. England has been losing a lot of Tests off late and it has been one of the reasons behind the sudden dropping of the veteran bowlers.

“England want to build a new culture. That’s what has led them to the huge decision to drop Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad from the squad to the West Indies. They’re trying to create a culture away from Broad and Anderson. Sometimes high-class senior bowlers can be an issue in the side. That’s not saying they’re not good people – they are – but you sometimes need to move forward. That sends a strong message to the team,” Vaughan wrote in his column for Telegraph.

“I’m quite happy with this selection. They clearly feel that they need to move away from that pair. That’s the message – (captain) Joe Root and his team want to build a new team without Broad and Anderson. The England management have seen something in the pair that has made them want to drop them.

“I think it’s smart, what Andrew Strauss has done. This has got the mark of Strauss on it. He’s trying to build a new culture. The long-term goal is trying to build a team that can win in Australia,” he added.

Anderson is the all-time highest wicket-taker for fast bowlers in Tests with 640 wickets in 169 Tests for England. His bowling companion Broad is not a long way behind as well with 537 wickets in 152 Tests. Both these bowlers have been a revelation for the side in the last decade or so but their recent form might not help them for a place in the squad.