England captain Andrew Strauss has revealed that he decided to rest James Anderson for the third Test against the West Indies with the upcoming series against South Africa in mind.

Anderson, who is widely regarded as one of the best bowlers in the world at present, is said to have been disappointed with the decision not to include him in the squad against the Windies.

However, Strauss has insisted that the decision was made to ensure that he would be at his best for the visit of the South Africans, who are currently ranked number two in the world.

"The last thing you want is to have someone dead on their feet, and by missing the odd game here and there hopefully that won't happen," Strauss told reporters.

England have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series against the Windies.