Stuart Broad and James Anderson announced their retirement within 10 months, leaving a 1304-wicket hole in the England Test side.
Brendon McCullum’s side are fortunate to have a number of seamers at their disposal in the coming summer, with Mark Wood and Chris Woakes expected to lead the Test attack.
But if you talk to me sky sports Broad this week warned that Anderson’s departure has left a “big hole” in the England side that will not be easily fixed.
“We could easily go into a Test match this summer with a very inexperienced bowling group,” Broad said.
“The hole that Jimmy Anderson left is obviously a big hole that someone needs to step into. And not just through swinging the new ball, but through communication, remaining calm when a boundary is leaked, and being tactically aware of what field is in play at a particular pitch, at a particular venue and at a particular time in a Test match.
“If you don’t play Wakes and Mark Wood is rested… you could potentially have three seamers and a spinner with 20 caps between them. And that’s a very scary thing. As a test captain, I would have thought:
“That might leave you a little exposed.”
But England may have already discovered a swing maestro capable of wreaking havoc on Kookaburra in the 2025/26 Ashes series.
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Durham seamer Sam Cook has been playing for England for a number of years, averaging below 20 in each of the last four County Championship seasons.
The 26-year-old is currently Division One’s leading wicket-taker with 25 scalps at 11:20, and his first-class record rivals some of the modern-day greats of 290 wickets at 19:19. The previous England bowler to take 200 County Championship wickets at an average of less than 20 was Derbyshire’s Alan Ward, who achieved the feat in 1971.
Cook has won the Bob Willis Trophy, Twenty20 Blast and two county championships with The Hundred since making his debut for Essex in 2017.
“I was probably too obsessed with wanting to play for England,” Cook said. ESPNcricinfo last month.
“If I do what I’m really good at for a long time, that opportunity will come.”
Cook’s red-ball numbers are hard to ignore, but McCullum and managing director Rob Key have repeatedly expressed a desire for pace in the national team’s bowling attack.
In the past, Cook’s medium speed, moving at around 130 km/h, has worked against him. This is especially true for Anderson and Broad in the Test team. The right-armer now faces the challenge of adding another yard of pace without compromising the bowling action that has proven successful over the past five years.
“I know I don’t bowl at 90m/h, but there are a lot of bowlers who don’t bowl at 90m/h in Test cricket,” Cook said recently. me.
“(McCullum and Key) want the players to bowl at a faster pace and that’s what I will try and do. But I’ve always said that I’m very conscious of not straying from what I’m good at and how I’m good at it. I have taken my wicket so far.
“We’re trying to redress the balance.”
With an eye on next year’s Ashes tour, England have introduced Kookaburra for the first two rounds of the County Championship to help identify seamers who do not rely on the Dukes’ flashy movements on the ball.
In a week dominated by batsmen, Cook took 10-73 in Essex’s 254-run win over Nottinghamshire, including a first-innings hat-trick, at Trent Bridge, alleviating concerns about his effectiveness against Kookaburra and further strengthening his abilities. I did. In case of reselection.
“Some people said he couldn’t bowl with a kookaburra,” Essex coach Anthony McGrath said last month.
“I think the performance puts that argument to rest.”
Anderson’s retirement paves the way for Cook’s potential Test debut, but Sussex’s Ollie Robinson remains England’s best swing option despite a disappointing tour of India.
Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue will also be fighting for a starting XI place, with Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse and Olly Stone not far behind.
“The only way to find out about a bowler is to give them a try,” Broad continued.
“Encourage them to communicate out there, encourage them to solve problems in real time in Test matches. I think exposure is really important because some of the bowlers have talent.”
The first Test between England and West Indies will be played at Lord’s on July 10.
