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.
Michael Penkman
