England’s Windies tour: James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler left out

England’s record wicket-takers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and former vice-captain Jos Buttler have all been dropped from next month’s Test tour of the West Indies as the post-Ashes cull took a dramatic turn.

An off-field clear-out after this winter’s 4-0 thrashing Down Under has already accounted for head coach Chris Silverwood, assistant Graham Thorpe and director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles and Tuesday’s squad announcement brought even more seismic changes.

A surprisingly ruthless selection by the interim management team of Sir Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood, who were assisted by lead scout James Taylor, has kicked off the much-discussed ‘red-ball reset’ with eight players dropped following the debacle in Australia.

While Buttler’s form made him a prime candidate, pushing their two most experienced players towards the precipice is a striking move.

Strauss said their longer-term futures would be decided by Silverwood’s successor as Test coach but there was a notable lack of assurances for the pair, alongside a stated desire to “draw a line” and start “a journey” – both of which sound ominous for the veterans.

Dawid Malan, Sam Billings, Dom Bess, Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed are the other axed players, with four uncapped names in the panel.

Yorkshire seamer Matthew Fisher is a direct beneficiary of the rebooted bowling attack, Durham opener Alex Lees has a chance to audition for a top-order spot, while Lancashire duo Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson also travel.

“With the start of a new cycle, it has allowed the selection panel to refresh the Test squad with a particular focus on competing away from home,” said stand-in General Manager Andrew Strauss. “We felt that it was time to draw a line after the Ashes defeat, look forward and give some impetus with an influx of new players.

“In respect of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, I want to emphasise this does not mean the end for them as England players. We feel that it is important to look at some exciting new bowling potential and give some added responsibility to other players who have featured previously. No one doubts the quality and experience that James and Stuart bring to the England set-up. It will be up to the new managing director and permanent head coach to decide on whether they will be involved this summer and beyond.

England squad: Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain, Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Alex Lees (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)