Ian Botham slams England’s ‘nonsense’ decision to rest Anderson

London: Former England captain Sir Ian Botham has hit out at England’s decision to rest their best Test bowler James Anderson for the final Test against West Indies, saying it made no sense.

Botham said Anderson was at his peak right now and fit to play, and therefore resting him unnecessarily, doesn’t possess any logical backing. “Jimmy Anderson being rested just two matches into the international summer really takes the biscuit. Have people forgotten that the job of an international cricketer is to play cricket and those supporting them are supposed to get them on the park not take them off it?” Botham writes in his column for the Daily Mirror. “You put in all those hours at your club, at your county, in the gym, practising your skills, honing them to a tee until you become the very best in the world at what you do. And then someone comes along and tells you, ‘sorry Jimmy, you can’t play today,’ WHAT?” he added. “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. 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,” he said. Botham further wrote: “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.” ANI