James Anderson at peace with England omission | ‘Box office’ Ben Stokes making a difference against West Indies | Cricket News

James Anderson was controversially left out of the squad for the tour of the West Indies along with Stuart Broad, but England’s leading Test wicket-taker says he has now “made peace” with the decision

James Anderson says he has ‘made peace’ with being left out of England’s Test squad to tour the West Indies

James Anderson insisted he has “made peace” with his surprise omission from England’s ongoing Test series in the West Indies and is fully focused on the forthcoming county campaign.

Anderson and Stuart Broad, No. 1 and No. 2 respectively on England’s all-time list of leading Test wicket-takers with a combined 1,177 dismissals, were controversially left out of the touring squad to the Caribbean.

While Anderson admitted last month he was initially in “shock” and felt “frustration and anger” at being overlooked as part of a much-hyped red-ball reset, the 39-year-old is now looking ahead.

The Lancastrian did concede not being part of a new-look set-up was still a bit hard to stomach, with England drawing in Antigua and Barbados and lacking a cutting edge with the ball in both matches.

“When you’re hearing how things are going and not being a part of this rebuild is a little bit tough,” Anderson, who has taken 640 wickets in 169 Tests, told BBC Radio 5 Live. “But I made peace with the decision weeks ago, it’s completely out of my control.

“What I can do now is just get myself ready for the county season and try and show people what I can do. I feel in a good place physically and mentally as well. I’m just looking forward to playing some cricket for Lancashire.”

As Anderson readies himself for this season’s LV= Insurance County Championship, which starts next month, England go to Grenada for the final Test this week hoping for a change in fortunes, with their seam attack in particular blunted by desperately unresponsive surfaces.

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England Test captain Joe Root has not ruled out a return to the squad for Stuart Broad and James Anderson and says they could feature this summer.

Anderson’s Lancashire team-mate Saqib Mahmood briefly gave England some encouragement in Barbados with a double breakthrough on the final day, however, finishing with match figures of 4-79 on his Test debut.

“It will do wonders for him, that’s an amazing return on that pitch where we saw all other seam bowlers struggle,” Anderson said. “To perform like that in your first game, especially in that second innings, it did give England a little bit of a sniff.

“His chest will be out after that game. It would have been hard work for him on that pitch this week and Test cricket will only get easier as his career develops.

“He’s not a Jofra [Archer], he’s not a Mark Wood, he’s not a 95mph bowler. I feel like he’s going to consistently hit 85mph and be pretty accurate.”

Collingwood: ‘Box office’ Stokes making a difference

Paul Collingwood credits a reinvigorated Ben Stokes with helping heal the pain of England’s Ashes defeat over the winter.

A 4-0 humiliation against Australia left the Test side in need of new direction, with Collingwood stepping up as interim head coach following the sacking of Chris Silverwood.

The former England batsman’s first two Tests in charge have seen the West Indies hang on for draws in Antigua and Barbados, but key to their endeavours has been Stokes, who has looked somewhere close to his influential best over the past couple of weeks.

After averaging 23.60 with the bat and 71.50 with the ball in Australia on his return from a four-month hiatus to preserve his mental and physical health, Stokes has hit his stride in the Caribbean after notching 120 with the bat at the Kensington Oval – his first century since the summer of 2020 – and sent down 77 overs with the ball, more than any other seamer in the series.

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Former England cricketer Nick Compton discusses what makes Ben Stokes so special.

“He’s phenomenal, he’s box office,” Collingwood said. “He was going into the Ashes with not much cricket under his belt. Now he’s fit, he’s determined, and you can tell he wants to make a difference in the dressing room as a leader.

“When he’s preparing himself like he is at the moment he certainly leads. He wants to go out in the middle and put in big performances. He wants the ball in hand, to score the runs and he’s doing just that at the moment.

“Even in the meetings when we first arrived, getting the scar tissue from Australia out the way and how we were going to move forward – you could see and hear he had the bit between his teeth and wants to lead this team. I think he and [captain] Joe Root have done a magnificent job turning this round.

“He’s just desperate to do well for the badge, for England. It’s amazing when he’s got this kind of attitude, as we all know he’s one of the best. Long may it continue.”

Ben Stokes celebrates after his century against the West Indies, his 11th in Test cricket for England

Success in this week’s series decider in Grenada is required to turn the positive vibes Collingwood has felt around the camp into something more tangible. With one Test win in 16 matches it is also badly needed.

Changes are likely in the bowling attack after another gruelling five-day affair, with Chris Woakes set to miss out after two under-par performances. Ollie Robinson is pushing for a first appearance as he recovers from back spasms and Craig Overton is well again after a brief illness.

But more intriguing is the option of unleashing uncapped leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, who has the ability to produce magic balls but has not played competitively since October.

“He is ready as can be,” Collingwood said of Parkinson. “The simple fact is in Covid times you don’t get matches in between.

“They are back-to-back-to-back, and it is putting a lot of stress on the players. The downside is we don’t have matches in between to have preparation time for guys who are not playing.”