James Anderson is ‘praying’ his England career is not over after he was left out of the Test squad to tour the West Indies.
The 39-year-old, who is without doubt one of the greatest red-ball bowlers to ever play the game, was stunned to find out he would not be on the plane to the Caribbean.
He was part of the squad that endured a nightmare Ashes series which concluded last month, but only featured in three of the five matches.
The batting was largely to blame for England’s shambolic performances, with the bowlers given far too much responsibility to tame a near formidable Australia lineup.
However, his omission from the squad came as a huge surprise to many and the fast bowler, who turns 40 in July, hopes that his absence from the team to face West Indies in March is not sign for the beginning of the end regarding his international career.
"I'm praying this isn't the end," said Anderson, who has taken 640 wickets in 169 Tests.
"But if I never play for England again, I know I've got amazing people around me to support me and that's really important."
The seamer is keen to don the famous whites once again and has his sights set on the County Championship this April, where he hopes to impress for Lancashire and regain his place in the England setup.
"I've got one more go at digging deep," he said.
"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 stuff I can control and that's showing people what I can do with the ball in my hand."
Stuart Broad, who has bowled in tandem with Anderson for many years, was also left at home for the West Indies tour.
England’s second highest test wicket taker with 537 wickets in 152 matches, expressed his confusion and anger at the decision and even admitted he was struggling to sleep.
In his Daily Mail column, Broad wrote: “I always try to find a positive in the hand that has been dealt to me.
“To be honest, though, that's been quite tricky this time because the decision to leave me out of the tour of West Indies has hit me pretty hard.”
Mark Wood was the only England bowler to take more wickets in the Ashes (17) than Broad, which left the 35-year-old even more baffled.
"Right now, I feel gutted. Do I need to prove myself again? In my mind, I've nothing to prove,” he continued.
"I am a proven performer, so it is now about the English cricketing summer and mentally and physically targeting the home series against New Zealand in June."
England will play three Tests against the West Indies, with the first beginning on March 8 at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium in Antigua.
