ENG vs WI | Still got the hunger and passion to play, says James Anderson

England are scheduled to tour the West Indies for three Tests starting from March 8. The England squad for the series was announced and it involved surprise exclusions of two senior bowlers in form of James Anderson and Stuart Broad for the fixtures. The omission of these two veteran players came as a shock for many. Reflecting on him missing out from the squad, James Anderson has stated that he still has the hunger and passion to play for the national team.

"I'm praying this isn't the end. I've got one more go at digging deep. I've got a lot left to offer - I've still got the hunger and passion to play. It was a shock and a disappointment to get that call but having processed it, it's important I try to focus on the stuff I can control and that's showing people what I can do with the ball in my hand," Anderson said on the Tailenders Podcast, as reported by ICC.

“There is likely to be a new director of cricket and new head coach so I just hope that whatever decision is made, it is talked about in the way that it should be. Another frustration for me is that it was just a five-minute phone call – it doesn’t really clear much up for you.”

Anderson has 640 wickets from 169 Test matches while Broad has picked 537 wickets from 152 Test matches. England captain Joe Root earlier assured that this is not the end for both the bowlers. 

“I’ve spoken to Stuart and Jimmy and they’re obviously disappointed, angry, and Stuart in particular has voiced that quite publicly. And you’d expect that. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for both of them. At no point – it’s been made very clear – no one is saying this is the end for them,” Root said.