Former England captain Nasser Hussain has made it clear he wanted James Anderson to be a part of the playing XI for the second Test of the three-match series against West Indies.

Anderson, who bowled 40 overs in Southampton, has been rested along with Mark Wood for the first of two Tests at his home ground, the Emirates Old Trafford. Stuart Broad, Anderson’s long-time pace-bowling partner, had to sit out the Ageas Bowl encounter but is all set to play in Manchester.

Hussain feels England need to field their best 11, without getting “cute with the selection again”,  and he would have liked to see both Anderson and Broad bowl in tandem in the second Test.

“One thing they need to do after naming a 13-man squad is not get cute with selection again,” he wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. “Sometimes the current panel overcomplicate it and get too smart, but all it should come down to is picking your best 11 players. I didn’t turn up to too many matches against West Indies to find Courtney Walsh or Curtly Ambrose left out.

“I have no hesitation in putting Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad in the same company. After all, they have almost 1,100 wickets between them. Yes, if those two were past their best then move them on, but Anderson has produced some of the best numbers in his career over the last five years and Broad was England’s leading wicket-taker in the Ashes last year and in South Africa.

Stuart Broad will be hoping for some deliveries like this tomorrow 👌#ENGvWIpic.twitter.com/uNkt0CaUQR

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 15, 2020

“It is a unique situation this summer, with six Tests virtually back-to-back, and of course there will be a need for England to rotate. But if the big two are fit and ready to go then they should have both played at Old Trafford. As it is, Anderson and Mark Wood have both been rested, though Wood could come back for the third Test.”

Sussex pacer Ollie Robinson has received his maiden call-up while Sam Curran has been included in the 13-strong squad as well.