England selectors were right to leave James Anderson out of first ICC Test, says Ashley Giles

Back in action: James Anderson
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Tom Collomosse21 July 2016

Ashley Giles has defended the role of England selectors after the panel were criticised for leaving James Anderson out of the Lord’s Test.

Giles worked as a selector for nearly five years and then coached England’s limited-overs teams from 2012-14, so he has a rare perspective on the challenges faced on both sides. Anderson is likely to return in the Second Test at Old Trafford, which starts tomorrow, with Pakistan 1-0 up in the Investec Series.

Anderson’s omission at Lord’s caused a stir, especially as the 33-year-old believed he was fit to play after a shoulder injury.

Captain Alastair Cook and coach Trevor Bayliss were happy to take his word but acting on medical advice, the selectors did not include Anderson in the squad. It is probable that Andrew Strauss, the managing director of England cricket, will review the selection process at the end of the summer, though the ECB insist there are no plans to dismiss any selectors. Giles, now head coach at Lancashire, stressed that Strauss must be given freedom to make his calls but offered valuable insight into the relationship between those who choose England squads.

“I believe the decision to leave out Jimmy Anderson at Lord’s was right,” Giles told Standard Sport. “He spent a valuable couple of days playing for us against Durham in the Championship and he now has competitive cricket behind him going into a Test. It is up to Andrew Strauss to do what he thinks best and I am sure he will make a good decision but the current system has worked okay. It is useful having guys like Angus Fraser and Mick Newell as selectors, because they know the county circuit really well, they’re at grounds all the time and they see the players — warts and all.

“James Whitaker, the national selector, is on the road all the time. When you go to games as a selector, you don’t see only what the player can do on a cricket field. You see what they’re like around the dressing room and around their team-mates.

“There will always be disagreements between the selectors and the coach and captain but you need to be tight. There will be difficult conversations but when you leave the room after a meeting, you have to understand each other.

“When I was on the selection panel, we would try to give the captain and coach what they wanted but you also had to do what you thought was right.

“You are dealing with the best players in the country.”

Giles also backed Moeen Ali to regain his best form and warned against comparisons with Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah. England named a second spinner, Adil Rashid, in their squad and since the 2015 Ashes, Moeen has struggled to make an impact with the ball. He claimed only two wickets in the match at Lord’s to Yasir’s 10.

Tune in tomorrow for Tom Collomosse's live coverage of the second Test from Old Trafford

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If England choose only one spinner for this Test, Moeen could lose his place, with Rashid playing his first Test in England. But Giles, who won 54 Test caps, praised Moeen’s work since he was first picked in 2014.

“You cannot expect Moeen to be the No1 spinner in the world, as Yasir Shah is at the moment,” Giles told Standard Sport. “I had my own battles, trying to compete with Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.

“If it’s not going your way, you have to remember you’re part of a bowling attack who need to take 20 wickets. I know Moeen took some stick after Lord’s but he is doing a good job and Adil is a fine bowler who seems to have matured. I hope we are now moving in a direction where spinners will be able to develop in English cricket.”

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