Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels it was a “smart” move by Sir Andrew Strauss to drop James Anderson and Stuart Broad for next month’s tour of West Indies.
Anderson and Broad, the country’s two leading wicket-takers, and Jos Buttler were left out of the squad announced on Tuesday as change continued in the set-up in the wake of the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.
Vaughan says he was “quite happy” with the selection made by England’s interim management team of Strauss and Paul Collingwood, assisted by lead scout James Taylor.
Writing in the Telegraph, Vaughan said: “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.
“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.
“In the short term it might be that England are going to take a step back to potentially move forward in the future. But let’s remember – England have been losing a lot of Test matches anyway.”
