SM
Greece vs. England: 16 hrs 15 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Sir Ian Botham blasts England selectors

:Headline: Sir Ian Botham blasts England selectors: ID:29755: from db_amp
Sir Ian Botham says that James Anderson's omission from the England side is an insult to the paying public.

Sir Ian Botham has blasted the England selectors for dropping James Anderson for the third Test against the West Indies at Edgbaston.

The 29-year-old, who has taken nine wickets in the first two Tests, will now not feature with the red ball until the crucial visit of South Africa in July.

Botham said that he understands why Anderson is furious with the decision, which he described an insult to the public.

"I'd be absolutely furious if I were Jimmy, and from what I gather that is exactly what he feels, and I don't blame him," Botham wrote in his column for The Mirror. "Jimmy has stated quite categorically that he is fit, so now someone else is supposed to know his body better than him. This is complete madness.

"If I were Jimmy I'd go up to those pen pushers in the ECB, toss them the ball and tell them to run in and bowl the West Indies out. Let's see how they get on with that.

"Jimmy is taking wickets for fun right now and he should be allowed to keep doing just that. He could now go six or seven weeks without any red-ball cricket ahead of the South Africa series. Why stop him earlier than necessary?

"The decision is also an insult to the English public who pay their money to go and watch the best players in the land represent them on the field."

Anderson has taken 267 wickets in 70 Test matches for England.

amp_article__29755 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2012-06-05 10:20:05:
html db last update - 2012-06-05 10:20:05 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Ian Botham

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .