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.