"Like the way Ben Stokes is looking forward" - Michael Vaughan on England think tank letting go of James Anderson ahead of 2025-26 Ashes series
Ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan lauded Ben Stokes for his forward planning ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia by letting of James Anderson. Vaughan recalled how England failed to plan well for the 2006-07 Ashes series Down Under after regaining the urn in 2005.
In the press conference ahead of the opening Test against the West Indies at Lord's, Stokes declared his intention to regain the urn and that the call on Anderson was England's way of planning. With the veteran seamer set to turn 43 by the time the next Ashes series begins, England's focus is on grooming young bowlers.
In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan conceded that it's emotional, but the right move if England are to compete well in Australia next year.
"For all that it feels strange, I do think it was the right decision. This is a long way out from the Ashes to be planning, but I like the way Ben Stokes is looking forward. We were not making big calls on 2005 this long in advance. Yes, we liked the look of the bowling attack, but the team we ended up using fell together at the last minute, with Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen coming in."
Nevertheless, the 49-year-old observed that Anderson has not lost his magic and is as good as the veteran was during his formative years.
"Anderson is of course the big debate. Have they got this one right or wrong? If you look purely on performance here, he still looks the part. If he was making his debut, we would have all been saying how brilliant he had been. He had the ball on a string, with immaculate control of length, and bowled a couple of genuine jaffas to pick up the wickets of Kraigg Brathwaite and Joshua da Silva."
Anderson had an underwhelming first innings at Lord's, managing only a solitary wicket. However, he returned with three scalps in the second innings to finish with a wicket tally of 704 wickets in 188 Tests.
"The one thing that contradicts all that is Chris Woakes carrying on" - Michael Vaughan
With the 35-year-old Chris Woakes still continuing, Vaughan questioned differential treatment and reckons playing the latter doesn't go in tandem with England's future plans. He opined:
"The one thing that contradicts all that is Chris Woakes carrying on. A few people have been asking me about this. Jimmy is gone now, and Woakes will probably play most Tests this summer, and into next summer too. But he rarely gets on a plane these days, and is surely not going to be involved in Australia. I wonder to myself why Jimmy is not getting the same treatment.
"Woakes was much better than him last summer, and provides nice balance at No. 8, but Jimmy looked much the better bowler at Lord’s. They want to move forward with a new attack with a bit more pace, but at 35 Woakes does not quite align with the plan."
The second Test between England and West Indies begins on July 18th in Nottingham.