"Still looking as good as he was two years ago" - Ben Stokes backs James Anderson ahead of 5th Ashes Test
England skipper Ben Stokes has thrown in his support behind struggling seamer James Anderson ahead of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval, starting on Thursday, July 27.
Anderson has been under the scanner for his below-par returns in the ongoing Ashes series, picking up only four wickets across six innings.
The Aussie batters have employed a tactic of seeing off Anderson, which has been successful so far in the Ashes series. The veteran seamer, who turns 41 on Saturday, has the best economy rate of 2.69 in the series, while his strike rate of 171 is also the worst.
Despite all the noise about his retirement, James Anderson managed to retain his place in England's playing XI and also has the confidence of his skipper.
"Although he's not had the impact he would have liked to in this series, he's a quality bowler," Stokes told reporters on the eve of the match.
"It's very hard for anyone to sit here and say he's not. Jimmy's come under a bit of flak for that but if Joe Root hadn't scored the runs he would have liked, you wouldn't be questioning him staying in the team as a batter.
"James Anderson is the greatest fast bowler to play the game and he's still looking as good as he was two years ago."
Anderson has picked up 689 wickets in 182 Tests, the highest among pacers. Overall, he is the third-highest wicket-taker in Test history after Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
Ben Stokes also spoke highly of another senior warrior, Stuart Broad, who has been exceedingly good in this series.
"It's been incredible," Stokes said. "We said before we started it would be very difficult for a bowler to play in all five, but he's been awesome.
"It's very hard to look past someone like that who has had such a big impact at important times. You have to give him huge credit for stringing five games in a row together. That's testament to all the hard work he puts in off the field," he added.
Broad is the highest wicket-taker in the series with 18 scalps. Australian skipper Pat Cummins is second in the chart with 16 wickets.
“It was a flat feeling" - Ben Stokes on the drawn Manchester Test
England were denied a chance to level the series 2-2 at Old Trafford in Manchester after rain played spoilsport on Day 5.
Ben Stokes reiterated that the feeling was emotionless, saying a win or a defeat would have been a better result.
“Leaving Manchester after the game was done, I’ve never left the field, never left a game emotionless,” Stokes said. “It was a really bizarre feeling the way the game petered out because of the weather. You sort of look back and wish maybe we either got beat or Australia managed to pull a draw off in that situation.
“Shaking hands with the umpires and the opposition at the end, you could see that from both sides, it was emotionless, Australia retaining the Ashes and us not being able to win it back," he continued. "Two teams of professional athletes want to be out there playing against each other, doing what we do. It was a flat feeling.”
Although England cannot win the Ashes, they will be desperate to win the last Test and deny Australia their first series win in the UK since 2001.