BBC Sport
England’s bowlers need to show “more leadership” against West Indies in the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, says interim managing director Andrew Strauss. Anderson and Broad were left out of the squad for the three-Test tour of the West Indies in March. They are England’s top two leading wicket-takers in Tests, with 1,177 dismissals combined. “This is an opportunity to refresh and look forward,” Strauss told BBC Sport. “We’ve brought some new blood into the bowling resources. But we’re also asking some of our existing bowlers to play a slightly different role to the one they’ve played before and show a bit more leadership.”
Lancashire fast bowler Saqib Mahmood and leg-spinner Matt Parkinson could make their Test debuts in the Caribbean. Seamer Chris Woakes is the most experienced bowler in the squad, with 42 Test caps. Following the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia, England head coach Chris Silverwood, director of cricket Ashley Giles and assistant coach Graham Thorpe all left their roles. Strauss has temporarily taken over from Giles and appointed Paul Collingwood as England’s interim head coach for the West Indies tour. “No-one is saying Broad and Anderson won’t feature this summer and beyond. My job is to give the new director of cricket and coach options from which to pick,” Strauss added.
England’s batting lineup has also been overhauled following the Ashes debacle. Openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed have been dropped, as has number three Dawid Malan. Uncapped Durham batter Alex Lees is set to open against West Indies alongside Zak Crawley, while Joe Root will bat at three after asking to do so. England arrive in Antigua on 25 February and play a four-day warm-up match starting on 1 March followed by three Tests: 1st Test Antigua, March 8-12; 2nd Test Barbados, March 16-20; 3rd Test Grenada, March 24-28.