England captain Ben Stokes hopes to see pace spearhead James Anderson take all 20 wickets as the latter gears up for his 188th and final Test. The veteran also stated that James Anderson’s skills are still world-class, but he feels the time to prepare for the away Ashes series for the next year is now as well. However, having made his debut in 2003, Anderson will finish his career at Lord’s when England play against the West Indies in the opening Test. And, he will finish his career as the leading wicket-taker for England in Tests as well.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Stokes said, “I hope he takes all 20 wickets if I’m being honest. I listened to Stuart talk about his retirement and wanting to go out on top and there was one thing he said that even made me think about when the time comes for me to go. He said: ‘I didn’t want a new player to come in and go I thought Stuart Broad was meant to be good. I thought: ‘Yeah that is a good thing to think about.’”
He further added, “Jimmy’s skillset is obviously still good enough for international cricket. But we have to make big decisions and we have got the Ashes to think about in 18 months’ time. Nobody will ever say, ‘Oh is that Jimmy Anderson? I thought he was meant to be good’ because he is still incredible.”
However, James Anderson had a forgettable 2023 home season when England hosted Australia for the Ashes. He only managed five wickets in four matches with a poor average of 85.40. With Stokes struggling to bowl regularly since February 2023, the veteran all-rounder revealed that it has progressed quite well and said that it’s a relief knowing he can fulfil all the facets effectively as well.
“The bowling is coming on really well. It is great to be able to sit here after two years not knowing how it was going to be on a day to day basis to now being as good as gold. It is really refreshing for me as a player and captain knowing we can always have four seamers. It balances the team so much better. I know I offer the team so much more when playing a bigger role with bat and ball. The knee is the best it has been for a long time,” Ben Stokes concluded.
