England v West Indies: Who is going to step up to the mark now James Anderson and Stuart Broad are out?

England will begin their Test series against the West Indies tomorrow, Tuesday 8 March, with almost an entirely new outfit than was seen in Australia just a couple of months ago.

England’s 4-0 defeat against the Aussies has provoked some strong reshuffling and reworking in the England camp with Chris Silverwood, Ashley Giles and Graham Thorpe all making their exit but Joe Root just about clinging on to his role as captain.

Eight players from England’s catastrophes in Australia have been omitted from the squad and I am still in need of convincing that some of these omissions were a good idea.

With 1177 wickets between the two, one would have thought it would be unimaginable to leave out your most consistent and reliable bowlers.

However, Joe Root and former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss have made that unimaginable thought a depressing reality.

It was inevitable that big changes were going to happen, and were crucially necessary. Maybe my life-long admiration for these two players is playing a small, or even quite big part in these thoughts, but it seemed implausible to think that a Test series will be taking place without James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

The Ashes was no one’s most successful series but England’s most senior players came out time and time again and delivered.

Broad took 13 wickets at an average of 26.30 while Anderson took eight at an average of 23.37.

Call me insane, but 23.37 is a staggering average considering the events of the series yet this feat is now being rewarded by being dropped.

To have one player who has 537 wickets to his name, and the other who is the highest ever paceman in cricket with 640 wickets both available at your disposal but not use them seems what I may politely write as a brave decision.

Yet the decision has been taken so we (or maybe just I) must move on.

With all that has been said about Anderson and Broad being left out, not enough is now being said about the talent in the named squad.

As sad as I, and many, are that Lancashire’s best bowler will be staying at home, it does mean that another Lancashire man can hopefully utilise this opportunity to shine and prove why he deserves a more secure spot in the side.

Saqib Mahmood shot to fame in the summer of 2021 when he played in what was dubbed England’s third team side against Pakistan.

In his seven ODI matches, he has taken 14 wickets at an average of 19.92. The 25-year-old was also awarded the Men’s ODI bowling award by ESPNcricinfo for the year.

With pace that could almost match that of Mark Wood’s, he will be an exciting prospect to watch and hopefully he can transfer the success seen in the one day matches to the Test format.

It was recently announced that Ollie Robinson is set to miss the first Test match due to sustaining a side strain in one of England’s warm-up matches, and this once again offers a perfect opportunity for Mahmood to exhibit his skill in the hope of a more permanent position.

Another player who is easing the pain of Broad and Anderson’s omission is Ben Foakes. This is not the first time I have written about the merits of Foakes but he is a player who certainly earns the unfortunately limited praise he receives.

Often referred to as the best glovesman in England, Foakes has often been cast aside for either Jos Buttler or Jonny Bairstow but hopefully he will step up to the classy magic that was seen when he scored a century on his debut in Galle.

It is impossible to argue against the talent of Buttler but his recent form in Test cricket has been questionable. While he is undoubtedly one of the best limited overs players in England, if not internationally, his recent sustaining of a small injury has provided a perfect scapegoat for keeping the 31-year-old wicket-keeper batter out of the squad.

A very noisy Ben Foakes is sure to keep the gloves warm but if he shows his full potential in the West Indies, it may be very hard for Buttler to regain them.

Once again Matthew Parkinson has been given the green light to rejoin the England squad. He is yet to make his Test debut for England but the unfortunate performances of England’s spinners in Australia will surely give the leg-spinner an opportunity to receive his first cap.

There is no doubt, England are full of young talent and maybe that is what the Test squad needs - a complete overhaul of players. But it is still going to take some miraculous performances from the entire squad in order to convince me that ‘Jimmy’ and ‘Broady’ should have been left out.

England play their first Test match against the West Indies on Tuesday 8 March 2022.

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