Veteran England fast bowler James Anderson said he has still not heard from the senior management since being dropped from the squad. However, the most successful seam bowler in history expects to hear from them after a new coach and director of cricket have been appointed.
Senior bowlers Anderson and Stuart Broad – who are England's all-time leading Test wicket takers with 1,177 scalps between them – were controversially left out of the 16-man squad for the three-Test tour of the West Indies in March.
It seemed part of a major overhaul following the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia with director of cricket Ashley Giles, head coach Chris Silverwood and batting coach Graham Thorpe heading towards the exit.
However, England did not fare much better in the Caribbean, losing the series 1-0. Anderson, meanwhile, is not losing hope.
"After an Ashes defeat everything comes under scrutiny," Anderson said. "There's lots going on, people losing their jobs and stuff. I would have loved a sit-down, face-to-face, but obviously that's not always possible.
"I would have loved more than a five-minute phone call. It's difficult because there is no one in those positions yet, there is an interim director of cricket and interim head coach. With stuff up in the air like that, I would expect to hear something once those positions are filled."
Anderson, 39, is preparing for the new season with Lancashire but says he is still unable to comprehend his England axe.
"I've stopped trying to make sense of it and just put it to one side," Anderson said.
"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 is here these next two months, try and take as many wickets as I possibly can and see what happens from there.
"Something like this, for me, it's quite a big deal because it came out of the blue a little bit. I still feel like I'm bowling well.
"I was in the top 10 of the world rankings so I feel like I'm doing a good job for the team. I feel like I've got a lot to offer, not just on the field but off it. I've really enjoyed working with the other bowlers that are coming through."
Despite the defeat in the West Indies, England captain Joe Root said that there had been "big improvements" in the team's attitude. Anderson rejected suggestions that he was difficult to lead.
"I've done what I did for quite a long period of time, I feel like I know what I'm doing," he said.
"I don't think I'm extremely stubborn. I will take advice and feedback from people. You'd have to ask Joe what he means by that."
HAJJAN
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
