England captain Ben Stokes expresses his wish to witness James Anderson take all 20 wickets as the veteran prepares for his 188th and final Test. Stokes, acknowledging Anderson’s ongoing world-class skills, emphasizes the importance of preparing for next year’s away Ashes series.
Debuting in 2003, Anderson will conclude his illustrious career at Lord’s during England’s opening Test against the West Indies this summer. The Lancashire bowler will retire as England’s highest wicket-taker in Tests and has the opportunity to rank second overall.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Stokes recalled Stuart Broad’s determination to retire at his peak and expressed a similar hope for Anderson.
“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.”
Anderson had a disappointing 2023 home summer during England’s Ashes series against Australia, taking just five wickets in four matches at an average of 85.40.
“My knee is in the best condition it has been in for quite a while”- Ben Stokes
Since February 2023, Ben Stokes has faced challenges in consistently bowling, but he recently disclosed significant progress in this area. The captain expressed relief in being able to contribute effectively across all aspects of the game. He added:
“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. And 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.”
During the tour of India earlier this year, Stokes only bowled in the fifth and last Test of the series.
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