Stuart Broad heaped praise on Alex Hales after the batsmen inspired England to a seven-wicket victory over West Indies in their one-off Twenty20 clash at Trent Bridge on Sunday.

Hales thrived in the spotlight following Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from limited-overs cricket, producing an assured performance before being dismissed for 99, missing out on the chance to become the Three Lions’ first centurion in the T20 format.

Ravi Bopara posted a respectable 59 from 43 balls, but his dismissal ensured a nervous final over as England successfully chased down the tourists’ total of 173-4 with two deliveries to spare.

“We did some really good things today,” Broad told Sky Sports. “There are certain things we can improve on, West Indies hit it fantastically at the death.

“It was a competitive score although the wicket was pretty good and we were always pretty confident we could chase that and the way Alex Hales batted was absolutely fantastic.

“He was pretty distraught not to get 100 and the 20-odd thousand in Trent Bridge would have felt the same.”

West Indies recovered from the early dismissal of Chris Gayle, with Dwayne Smith posting 70 runs, followed by an impressive partnership between Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard which put their side in a strong position after a blistering 63 in the final four overs.

The tourists took the wicket of opener Craig Kieswetter but England responded, with Hales hitting 99 off 63 deliveries as the 23-year-old put on a stand of 159 with Bopara, before the duo both fell in the final over.

Eoin Morgan then scored the necessary runs to seal victory – and although captain Broad admitted England showed signs of rustiness, he was satisfied with the result.

“Having not played Twenty20 cricket for a while, you expect to be a little bit rusty in the thinking, not so much the skills,” he added.

“We didn’t maybe didn’t react as quickly as we could.

“But at the end of the day, 170 on what was a fantastic Trent Bridge wicket with a quick outfield, we were happy with.”

Steven Finn believes England’s rotation policy will prove key in helping the next crop of youngsters develop into international class cricketers.

England had opted to rest their three frontline bowlers Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann for the final one-day international against West Indies, which was washed out with no play Friday.

The omission of James Anderson from their final Test last month also sparked controversy, with the 29-year-old unhappy at being prevented the chance to take further wickets in their 3-0 whitewash series victory.

But Finn has defended the policy, insisting it provides some less proven players that vital chance to shine on the international stage.

“It’s important that any logical opportunity for a rest for the senior players should be taken,” Finn said. “The more exposure we get at an early age the better we are going to be.”

“We’ve got young players coming through who need to gain international experience at international level, me one of those included.

“It is more of an investment in the future with the rest of those guys also able to prolong their careers and play in the more important games.”

Earlier this week, England batsman Ian Bell also backed the policy, but admitted he had sympathy for the Three Lions’ paying supporters who bought tickets expecting to see a full-strength line-up.

“Of course, I have some sympathy,” said Bell. “It has slightly weakened our attack, but I still think it is a team that can go out and beat West Indies.

“There’s no doubt people want to come to see the Broads, Andersons and Bresnans. But they will be seeing young, exciting guys who will be big playersfor England over the next few years.”

Ian Bell admits he has sympathy for England’s paying supporters, with Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann all rested for the final one-day international against West Indies on Friday.

The issue of squad rotation first came to the fore this summer when James Anderson was left out of England’s squad for the final Test in their series whitewash over West Indies.

The debate has since rumbled on, with the three bowlers set to miss the final ODI at Headingly Carnegie – and Bell says he has “some sympathy” for the fans paying to see an under-strength England attempt to complete a 3-0 series win.

“Of course, I have some sympathy,” said Bell. “It has slightly weakened our attack, but I still think it is a team that can go out and beat West Indies.

“There’s no doubt people want to come to see the Broads, Andersons and Bresnans. But they will be seeing young, exciting guys who will be big players for England over the next few years.”

But the 30-year-old, who was called into the ODI squad following Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from limited-overs cricket, admitted that squad rotation is necessary to ensure their best players are fresh for a demanding summer of cricket.

“There’s a heavy schedule coming up,” he added. “We need to look after these guys.

“The key to our success in one-day cricket is having five out-and-out world-class bowlers. So if we want to beat the Australians, we want these guys fit and fresh and ready to go. For the three guys who play in all three forms of the game … it’s going to be crucial.”

Skipper Strauss still the one

England captain Andrew Strauss came into the Test series against the West Indies with a big question mark hanging over his form. He answered his critics and removed any seed of doubt about his right to the England captaincy with the only way he knows how – runs. With a stoic century in the first innings of the opening Test at Lord’s followed by another ton in the second Test, Strauss demonstrated that his class is indeed permanent. Denesh Ramdin could take a leaf out of Strauss’s book. The 35-year-old is already looking forward to the big one this summer, a three-match South Africa Test series. Disappointed by England’s lackluster performance in the final washed-out Test, the Middlesex player knows there will be no room for complacency against the Proteas. His opposite number, Graeme Smith, who averages 72 in England, will become the most capped Test captain, surpassing Allan Border, if he plays in all three Tests this summer. He has just been passed fit after recovering from ankle surgery. It was Smith’s South Africa who were the last side to beat England on their home turf, back in 2008. Strauss will be desperate it doesn’t happen again.

England’s batting department lacks depth

Despite a comfortable 2-0 series win over West Indies, the Three Lions batting could come unstuck against South Africa. The Proteas have named an unchanged squad on Wednesday following their last Test series victory against New Zealand. It includes world No1 fast bowler Dale Steyn, the tall Morne Morkel and the second fastest bowler to reach 50 test wickets, Vernon Philander. Meanwhile, England have issues at No6. Jonny Bairstow had a torrid time in his second Test against the short ball and struggled in the most recent match in Birmingham. Ravi Bopara is not proven at Test level and the last time he faced an attack of the quality of South Africa’s, he averaged just 15 – that was against Australia in the 2009 Ashes series.

England supporters will miss KP

Ever the entertainer, after the final days play at Edgbaston was washed out, Kevin Pietersen’s somewhat shock decision to retire from limited overs cricket sunk in. When England announced their squad for the forthcoming ODIs against the West Indies, the reality of Pietersen’s decision became a disappointing reality, the squad in black and white and no KP. With 4,184 runs at an average of 41.84 in the 50-over game, Pietersen, just 31, will be sorely missed on the international stage. Few batsman have possessed such natural talent and even fewer have the ability to clear any bar across the world when they walk to the wicket. Coach Andy Flower even went public after England’s most talented batsman quit and said he tried to dissuade him from doing so. Flower says Pietersen will regret it later in life, right now every England cricket fan across the country will watch the next five ODIs thinking about who is absent from the pitch opposed to the players on it.

Test Cricket’s still got it and so do the West Indies

Despite the rain, and wintery conditions for the Lord’s Test match, the recently concluded series with the West Indies reminded us why the game is worth fighting for. The Caribbean side were massive underdogs, but barring some poor periods of play, went toe-to-toe with the world’s No1 side for large parts of the series. West Indies captain Darren Sammy showed courage to score his first Test, and first-class century, at Trent Bridge. Tino Best’s comeback at Edgbaston, where he broke the record for the highest score by a No11 with a scintillating 95, will be remembered for a long time to come. Marlon Samuels played with composure and drove the ball as well as any current Test match batsman during the series. He also was not afraid to have a little chin wag with the England fielders, and it is characters like this that Test cricket must embrace.

Best, who has not played Test cricket for three years, was in a buoyant mood at the close of play in Brimingham after picking up two wickets to add to his fabulous 95, which he scored batting at No11.

“I always back myself and I’ve been working really hard in the gym,” he told Channel 5. “I back my ability and I’m always looking to bowl quick, the day I don’t bowl quick I’m going to finish playing cricket.”

The 30-year-old scored a remarkable 95 for the tourists to frustrate England as he and wicketkeeper Ramdin put on 143 for the tenth wicket after the Caribbean side started the day on 280-8.

Best’s score was the highest score by a No11 in Test match cricket, beating the previous record set by India’s Zaheer Kahn of 75, and helped the tourists to post 426 in their first innings.

When Steven Finn got the wicket of Ravi Rampaul early on, caught behind for two, the remaining wicket would be a formality. But on his return to Test cricket Best had other ideas, and fell agonisingly close to what would have been a remarkable century.

The celebration from the West Indies’ balcony, where every member of the team and management were up on their feet, for Best’s fifty showed what it meant to the whole camp.

Only a Graham Onions’ slower ball, which Best edged to England captain Andrew Strauss, brought a close to a memorable innings and left England with a mountain to climb to draw level.

By the close of play, England were 221 for 5 and still 205 runs shy of West Indies first-innings total.

However, with the first two days rained off, a draw is now the only possible result going into the final day’s play tomorrow.

Kevin Pietersen showed why he will be missed in limited overs cricket with an accomplished 78, before he fell to part-time spinner Marlon Samuels.

He and Ian Bell, who was in fine form, put on a century stand for the fourth wicket after England struggled early on and still remain 56 runs adrift of the follow-on.

Bell remains unbeaten on 76 not out overnight, and will be joined in the morning by night watchman Steven Finn who is yet to get off the mark.

Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow managed only 18 before he was bowled by Best – who weighed in with two wickets, including Strauss, to cap off one of his best day’s in a West Indies shirt.

Bairstow’s place in the side will no doubt come under further scrutiny, after a poor display in the previous Test at Trent Bridge and another failure on Sunday in Birmingham.

Graham Onions was proud to be back in an England shirt after taking 3-56 on the third day of the final Test against West Indies at Edgbaston.

Durham pace-man Onions, who has not played Test cricket for two-and-a-half years due to career threatening back injuries, was part of a three-man pace attack, which reduced West Indies to 280-8 at stumps.

“There were a few nerves, that’s only natural, but I loved it today,” he told Sky Sports.

“It was hard work but I really enjoyed it. It’s been over two years since I played and I’m delighted that I came back from lot of injury troubles.

“The lads today put in lot of hard work and I’m proud to be part of it.

“It was a tough, six or seven months I spent coming back, not knowing if I would ever play again which was the tough part. But everyone at the ECB has been fantastic.

“It’s always nice playing for England, but when you’ve gone through that, playing for England is even more special.”

Captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and inserted the tourists, who had made four changes to the side that were comprehensively beaten at Trent Bridge to trail 2-0 in the series.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was not in the Caribbean Islanders’ side after picking up a side strain and will now, at the age of 37, have no doubt played his final Test on England shores.

However, despite not having the world number one batsman in their ranks, the Caribbean side started strongly and were 85-1 by lunch; Yorkshire’s Tim Bresnan picking up the solitary wicket of Kieran Powell, caught by Graeme Swann at slip.

With the first two days of this Test washed out both Steven Finn and Onions were finally given the chance to prove themselves as Stuart Broad dropped out of the side due to a cold. Strike bowler James Anderson had been left out of the squad last week to give the Lancashire quickie some rest, with a long summer of cricket ahead of the Three Lions.

After lunch the West Indies fragile batting order began to crumble and the tourists were 164-5 at tea.

Finn picked up a brace, removing Darren Bravo and skipper Darren Sammy but was unlucky not to remove opener Adrian Barath, who was twice dropped before Onions snaffled him for 41.

Marlon Samuels was once again in fine form with the bat making a fine 76, taking him to 386 runs in just his fifth innings this series. He shared a sixth wicket partnership of 56 with wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who finished the day on 60 not out.

England must win the third and final Test against the West Indies on Friday after taking the decision to drop their fully fit and in-form strike bowler James Anderson.

The England Cricket Board announced on Sunday that Anderson would not be part of the squad for the Edgbaston Test.

The move sparked huge debate as to whether the ECB were right to drop Anderson – ranked the third best bowler in the world – for what would have been his 71st Test cap in order to preserve his fitness with a long summer of Test cricket ahead.

Captain Andrew Strauss insisted on Thursday that he is confident the England selectors have made the right call.

“Jimmy Anderson’s missed out on this one, with good reason,” the 35-year-old told Sky Sports.

“I think the idea of rotating and resting is that you end up then playing more – not less. The last thing we want is someone to be playing to an extent they’re dead on their feet and then get injured and are out for months.”

Anderson was disappointed not to be picked and if, weather permitting, England fail to secure a whitewash then the decision will be unforgivable.

One thing is for sure though, Anderson’s replacements are raring to go and certainly up to the challenge of international cricket.

Either Middlesex’s Steven Finn or Durham’s Graham Onions will take the place of Anderson, and both players have been amongst the wickets for their counties this summer and will be hoping to stake a claim as the premier back-up bowler, should any of the current contingent pick up an injury for the South Africa series.

Wicketkeeper Steven Davies has been called up as cover for Matt Prior, who is suffering from an eye infection.

It is an indication that the management are clearly not ready to hand Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow a chance behind the stumps despite the 22-year-old keeping wicket regularly for England Lions and his county.

Bairstow suffered a torrid time with the bat in the previous Test at Trent Bridge against some short, ferocious bowling from Kemar Roach. The call up of the 25-year-old Surrey glove-man suggests the England hierarchy are keen not to burden Bairstow with too much responsiblity in only his third Test match.

Meanwhile, the West Indies may give a Test debut to spin bowler Sunil Narine. The Trinidadian has come into the squad after strike bowler Kemar Roach was ruled out for the remainder of the series with a shin injury.

The 24-year-old has only played eight one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches for his country, but has been bamboozling batsman in the Indian Premier League for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

However, the tourists are now without Roach and seamer Shannon Gabriel – who also missed the last Test.

With the weather forecast looking characteristically gloomy the Caribbean side may struggle to bowl England out twice.

If Darren Sammy’s team can pull of a victory it would be a remarkable feat. For England, victory is expected and any less would raise some serious questions about the decision to rest their best bowler.

England squad for third Test v West Indies

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, captain), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Steven Davies (Surrey wk) Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire).

The England management team’s decision to drop bowler James Anderson for the final Test against the West Indies will be an ever-present talking point over the next week.

On the one hand, there is the school of thought which suggests England should capitalise on their dominance over the West Indies, and therefore play their best team on Friday.

However, there is a daunting series against South Africa to think about and, with that in mind, should England be risking their best players in what is essentially a dead-rubber fixture?

England coach Andy Flower has made it quite clear that his priorities lie in a squad rotation policy.

“The days of us playing our players until they either wear down significantly or snap physically or mentally, those days are over,” he said earlier this week.

In resting Anderson for this test, England are not showing a sign of weakness but actually one of strength because they can afford to drop such a key player and not allow it to have a seriously detrimental effect on the team.

England have already won this series regardless of the result in the third Test at Edgbaston, and before people start criticising the decision to drop Anderson, perhaps they should think about his potential replacements.

The most likely candidate to fill the void is Steven Finn – the only England bowler who can consistently bowl faster than 90mph and has the genuine ability to scare the inexperienced West Indies top order into submission.

Finn was England’s leading wicket taker in the 2010/11 Ashes series before he was left out after the third Test in Perth, and it is only due to the consistency of Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett in recent series that he has been unable to force his way back into the test team.

Statistically, England’s reserve bowling attack of Finn, Tremlett, Monty Panesar and Graham Onions would rank at No4 in the world behind only England’s front line attack, South Africa and Australia.

They present a better bowling option than the West Indies could even dream of, and with the current state of the tourists’ top four, it’s unlikely that their young batsmen would particularly relish facing any of England’s reserve attack.

It is extremely important for England to rotate their bowling attack wherever appropriate. Big money franchise teams all over the world, particularly those playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are desperate for English players but in recent times have found it difficult to lure the best players away from their county and international duties.

The danger is that we are producing so many cricketers of the highest calibre that those who aren’t playing regularly could be tempted by a lucrative IPL contract if they keep seeing the door to the England squad being slammed shut in their faces.

Twenty20 franchise cricket is a huge danger to international cricket, and it has impacted heavily on Kevin Pietersen’s decision to retire from all forms of One-Day International cricket.

The issue for England is successfully keeping a group of players hungry for Test match cricket, and if a rotational squad policy will help to achieve that then it can only be a helpful thing.

To date, the damage has been limited, with only fringe international players such as Dimitri Mascarenhas regularly heading out to India to earn big money in the IPL.

This season saw more established players such as Eoin Morgan and Pietersen secure extended moves out to India, with Pietersen’s stint playing for the Delhi Daredevils proving incredibly lucrative.

IPL team’s chairman will be eager to target the quality reserve players that England currently possess, and Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss need to ensure that players such as Finn and Tremlett are given an opportunity to showcase their talents for England at relevant and regular opportunities.

Graham Onions should be given the nod ahead of Steven Finn after it was revealed strike bowler James Anderson will be rested for the third and final Test against the West Indies on Thursday.

England have, somewhat controversially, not picked their strike bowler for the game as they look to conserve his fitness ahead of a long summer of international cricket.

And the 29-year-old, who has taken 267 Test wickets, was disappointed by his recent omission for the Edgbaston Test.

“It would be different if I felt fatigued or was struggling with an injury,” he told the Sun.

“But I believe I am fit to play — and I want to play in every England game I can. Nobody would volunteer to be left out of this side. Who knows what may happen in the future with injury or loss of form?”

With the 12-man squad set to meet on Tuesday to prepare ahead of the Test, Onions will be hoping for the chance to win his ninth Test cap against the team he made debut against in 2009.

The 29-year-old has been in stunning form for his county this season, picking up 34 wickets at an average of 12.61.

Onions, who gets extremely close to the stumps in his delivery stride, can swing the ball both ways and is the like-for-like replacement for Anderson.

The Durham bowler, who has struggled with a back injury, last played Test cricket two-and-half-years ago against South Africa, and is now firing on all cylinders – England must strike while the iron is hot.

With the kind of form he is in, Onions could be the key ingredient to help Anderson and Broad dismantle the South African top order later this summer; although to have all three bowlers in the side would involve a reshuffle England are unlikely to undertake.

It would be tough on Finn if he does not play any Test cricket this summer. The 23-year-old Middlesex bowler has been in good form, with 22 wickets at 20.04 so far this season.

Despite being the youngest Englishman to reach 50 Test wickets, Finn has been culpable of leaking too many runs at international level; it was for this reason he was dropped during England’s Ashes winning series in Australia.

Onions has the control and movement that could prove vital when the Proteas turn up for the first Test on the 19th of July at the Kia Oval. He could upset the second ranked team in the world if he is given the chance to find his feet again at Test level this week.

Jonny Bairstow will retain his place for Thursday’s Test in Birmingham despite having a torrid time against the short ball at Trent Bridge. Luckily for the young Yorkshire man, his tormentor, Kemar Roach, is out injured for the rest of the series with a shin problem.

Bairstow’s county colleague – and England’s lucky charm Tim Bresnan – is likely to keep his place and attempt to make it 14 wins from 14 Test matches, while the West Indies have called up uncapped spinner Sunil Narine to replace Roach.

James Anderson has been rested for the third and final Test against the West Indies at Edgbaston, which gets under way on Thursday.

Seamer Anderson suffered a slight quad problem in the second Test and has been left out of the squad as a precaution in the hope that some time off will give the 29-year-old “an opportunity to overcome several minor injuries”.

Steven Finn and Graham Onions have been added to the 12-man squad, with one of the pair likely to be added to the final XI as Anderson’s replacement.

National selector Geoff Miller said: “We have been made to work hard for our two victories so far and are delighted to have secured the series, however we know that we will need to continue to play some good cricket if we want a third win against the West Indies this week.

“James Anderson will miss this Test as we look to manage his workload ahead of a busy period of cricket this summer and beyond, a decision which is in the best interests of the team and James himself.”

England won the second Test in the three-match series by nine wickets at Trent Bridge to secure a series win having won the opener at Lord’s by five wickets.

England Test squad to face West Indies

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, captain), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire).