Steve Harmison slams England’s ‘DISGUSTING’ decision to axe Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad

Steve Harmison has labelled England’s treatment of James Anderson and Stuart Broad as ‘disgusting’ after the pair were left out of next month’s tour to the West Indies.

The fast-bowling duo have a combined tally of 1,177 wickets between them in Test match cricket but were omitted from the three-match series that begins in Antigua on 8 March. 

Interim managing director Sir Andrew Strauss – part of the selection panel which named a 16-man touring party earlier this week – insisted this was not the end of his ex-team-mates careers and that they would be in contention to play this summer.

James Anderson (right) and Stuart Broad (left) were omitted from England’s 16-man squad

Steve Harmison believes the duo will not play for England again after being axed for West Indies tour

But 2005 Ashes hero Harmison believes England have taken a huge ‘gamble’ by leaving them out and claims there is no way back for the bowling legends.

‘For an interim management team to make this call, that’s a big, big call and a big, big gamble,’ Harmison told talkSPORT.

‘I can understand Stuart being annoyed and he will be annoyed. Stuart’s a bowler I would have taken to the Caribbean because of the bouncy surfaces.

‘Jimmy can bowl on anything. He’s the best bowler of all time and can bowl on any surface. If there was one tour to give him off this was possibly it, getting him ready for what would be his last hurrah in the summer.

Sir Andrew Strauss (left) insists this is not the end of the road for his former team-mates

‘But to end their careers this way – because I think this is it and I don’t see them coming back – I don’t think that’s right. I think it’s disgusting actually on two all-time greats.’

Four fresh faces were however named in the squad, with batsman Alex Lees and bowlers Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson all in contention to debut in the Caribbean.

It comes after captain Joe Root called for a post-Ashes ‘reset’ following England’s 4-0 defeat by Australia, but Harmison has questioned whether it will start in Antigua given they could field the same bowling attack that lost by nine wickets in Brisbane.

Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and left-arm spinner were all selected for the first Test at the Gabba, and all four have been selected to play Kraigg Brathwaite’s men. 

Harmison believes England will go in with the same bowling attack that began the Ashes

‘The message that they sent was ‘reset’ and I couldn’t stop laughing at that bit,’ Harmison added.

‘The problem that we’ve had in recent times is that we’ve said that this bowling attack can’t bowl like that.

‘We go to the Gabba and we criticise our bowling attack and we go to Antigua with the same bowling attack.

‘We’ll have the same bowling attack for the first Test match in Antigua as we had at the Gabba and that is not a reset for me.’