England great James Anderson is "still trying to make sense" of being dropped for the West Indies tour and is disappointed with the manner in which he was informed.
Lancashire bowler Anderson was omitted by England as they opted for a new-look squad, led by interim coach Paul Collingwood, to the Caribbean for a three-Test series in March.
Fellow seamer Stuart Broad was also left out as Joe Root's tourists, without the pair that have 1,177 Test wickets between them, fell to a 1-0 series defeat against Kraigg Brathwaite's hosts.
Anderson, who is England's leading Test wicket-taker in history with 640 dismissals, remains confused by the decision, citing a lack of contact and feedback as his main issue.
"It's a bit strange because I am still centrally contracted but have not had too much feedback from them [England] so I have just been trying to work with the guys here at Lancashire," he said.
"I'm still trying to make sense of it [being dropped] and I've just put it to one side. It was completely out of my control. I've got to focus on what I can control and that is bowling as well as I possibly can.
"Firstly, that's here at Lancashire this next two months and take as many wickets as I can."
Chris Silverwood was dismissed in the wake of a 4-0 Ashes thrashing and the ECB are in search of a permanent coaching appointment, along with a new managing director.
Anderson understands England are going through a difficult period, but explained he expected more than a "five-minute call" from interim director Andrew Strauss.
"I would have loved a sit-down face-to-face. I would have loved more than a five-minute phone call," he continued.
"It is difficult because there is no one in those key positions [at England]. I would expect to hear something more once those positions are filled. There's no one in those positions permanently so I am assuming that is why I have not heard anything from them.
"It is what it is. Something like this for me is quite a big deal because it came out of the blue and I still feel like I am bowling well. I'm still in the top ten in the world rankings.
"I still feel like I am doing a job for the team. So I feel like I've got a lot to offer, not just on the field but off it, and I've really enjoyed working with the other bowlers that are coming through."
Anderson has not been permitted by England to play in Lancashire's first County Championship match against Kent, which starts on Thursday, due to his central contract.
However, the 39-year-old will be allowed to feature in the second red-ball fixture with Gloucestershire as he looks to again prove his worth to England ahead of their next Test series with New Zealand, which begins in June.
That meeting with Kane Williamson's tourists remains Anderson's sole aim for now.
"If I think of the build-up to a Test series, I want to be in as good a form as possible going into that series," he said.
"For me, the best way of doing that is performing for Lancashire, trying to win games of cricket, and hopefully will lead to a call-up."
West Indies dominate short-handed Australia in final warm-up ahead of T20 World Cup
In a powerful display of batting prowess, the West Indies sent a strong message to their T20 World Cup competitors with a commanding 35-run victory over a depleted Australian side in their final warm-up match at Queen's Park Oval on Friday night.
Blistering half-centuries from Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell highlighted the West Indies' innings, propelling them to a formidable total of 257 for 4 in their 20 overs. Pooran was particularly destructive, smashing 75 from just 25 balls, including five sixes in a mere six balls against Australian spinners Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa.
Powell continued the onslaught with a quick-fire 52 from 25 balls, ensuring the West Indies maintained an aggressive tempo throughout their innings. Sherfane Rutherford added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 47 from just 18 deliveries.
Australia, struggling with a short-handed team for the second consecutive match, fielded only nine players, supplemented by coaches and selectors acting as substitute fielders. The absence of key players and the late arrival of allrounder Marcus Stoinis, whose kit was delayed in Miami, further hampered their performance.
Despite the challenges, Nathan Ellis showed promise with the ball, claiming 2 for 42 from his four overs. However, the Australian bowlers were otherwise put to the sword, with Zampa conceding 62 runs and Josh Hazlewood 55 in their respective spells.
Sent in to bat, West Indies got off to a quick start with Shai Hope and Johnson Charles laying the foundation. Pooran then took centre-stage, hitting the first three legal deliveries he faced for sixes and maintaining a high strike rate. His half-century came off just 16 balls, demonstrating his aggressive intent. Although Borovec dropped a catch off Pooran, it didn’t prove too costly as Bailey managed to dismiss him shortly after.
Powell continued the momentum with a brutal assault on Zampa and Agar, who conceded 120 runs between them. Tim David, in a rare role as a bowler, managed to be the least expensive with figures of 1 for 40 from four overs.
Chasing 258, Australia’s reply was spirited but ultimately fell short at 222 for 7. Josh Inglis top-scored with a brisk 55 off 30 balls, but the lack of depth in the batting lineup was evident. In a surprising move, Agar opened the batting and contributed 28 off 13 balls, but the rest of the lineup failed to capitalize.
David Warner, who missed the recent Australia-West Indies Test series, was bowled for 15 by Shamar Joseph after a brief flurry of boundaries. Mitchell Marsh, playing in his preferred No.3 position, was dismissed cheaply, and while David and Matthew Wade managed 25 runs each, they couldn't keep pace with the required run rate.
Gudakesh Motie was instrumental in stemming the flow of runs during the middle overs, finishing with figures of 2 for 31, including the key wickets of Inglis and David. Ellis provided some late resistance with a quick 39, sharing a 51-run stand with Zampa, who remained unbeaten on 21.
The West Indies' dominant performance, spearheaded by Pooran and Powell, sets a confident tone ahead of the T20 World Cup.
The T20 World Cup kicks off on Saturday, and the West Indies' emphatic win serves as a strong warning to their rivals as they aim for glory on the global stage.
'Good feeling around England squad' ahead of T20 World Cup, says Buttler
Jos Buttler says there is a "good feeling" around the England squad, following their pre-T20 World Cup series win over Pakistan.
The reigning champions, who begin their title defence against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday, completed their preparations with a seven-wicket victory at The Oval wrapping up a 2-0 series win.
It was a disrupted series with washouts preventing the T20Is in Leeds and Cardiff, but England finished it on a high, successfully chasing down Pakistan's total of 157 with 27 balls remaining.
Although the tourists were looking good at 59-0 within the first six overs, the pendulum swung in the hosts' favour as Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer quickly bowled Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
Buttler (39) and Phil Salt (45) then led the way in England's successful chase on the day of the former's record-breaking 116th T20I for his country, surpassing Eoin Morgan.
And despite playing two fewer games than scheduled in the series, the skipper feels the squad are in good shape ahead of their World Cup defence.
"We have worked hard in training and there is a good feeling around the squad," he said. "Guys are all stepping up and performing.
"It would have been nice to get two more games in to expose a few guys to different situations, but we have really good experience in the group and a lot of guys have been playing in the IPL, so we are not short of cricket."
Of his own performance, he added: "I have a quest to keep improving, trying to work on a few different things in my game that I haven't been doing. That is giving me fresh energy and motivation.
"It went well for five or six overs but then I got out. The middle order needs to step up," Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said, with his nation beginning their World Cup campaign against the United States on Thursday.
"We need to sort out those things for the World Cup. We have a few injuries, but there are a lot of positives. Our play is good in patches."
England ease to pre-T20 World Cup series win against Pakistan
England eased to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their final T20I at The Oval on Thursday to win the series 2-0.
England won the toss and decided to bowl first, and it almost looked to be the wrong choice as Pakistan raced to 59-0 within the first six overs.
However, Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer quickly bowled Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam to turn the tide as Pakistan suddenly collapsed.
England's bowlers turned on the style as Liam Livingstone got a double wicket maiden (2-17), with Rashid (2-27) and Mark Wood (2-35) also doing their part to limit Pakistan to 157 all out in the final over.
England comfortably chased down 158, with Phil Salt (45) and captain Joss Buttler (39) getting them off to a strong start as the openers.
Will Jacks added a further 20 before Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook, who finished the game off with a final six, saw England to 158-3 with 27 balls remaining.
After two washouts disrupted the series in Leeds and Cardiff, England got a confidence-boosting victory ahead of their World Cup title defence, which will begin against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will play the United States in their World Cup Opener on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Buttler breaks records
Buttler has broken the record for playing the most T20Is (116) for England, surpassing Eoin Morgan.
Though he did not quite reach the heights of England's win at Edgbaston, his knock saw him hit seven fours and one six on their way to a comfortable victory.
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