'James Anderson has much more to offer' - Ben Stokes' yet another hint at pacer's Ashes availability

James Anderson has joined the England Test squad as a bowling mentor for the rest of the summer after his retirement from international cricket. He played in the first Test against West Indies and picked up four wickets. He ended his career with 704 wickets.

England have added Matk Wood to their squad ahead of the second Test at Trent Bridge. Wood bowls with pace and is coming into this game after some much-needed rest. Gus Atkinson who took seven wickets on his Test debut will be the main attraction for his side.

The rest of the players are enjoying Anderson's presence alongside them still. Ben Stokes, the England Test skipper addressed the pre-match press conference and spoke about Anderson's role in the side as the bowling mentor.

"You can see the lads are desperate to pick his brains. It was different before as he was preparing for his own game so it was like, 'let him do his stuff and pick his brains as much as you can when appropriate. Now you can see how the lads were drawn towards him, wanting to know what he thinks and how he holds certain deliveries" said Stokes on Anderson.

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He further spoke about how the side has moved ahead from James Anderson's retirement. The likes of Stokes himself and Joe Root were very emotional on Anderson's retirement. The former pacer was himself very emotional during his final Test match as he was given the guard of honour.

"I think it has been a very smooth transition. There is still emotion there - it has only been a week - but I think he knows he has so much more to offer English cricket, particularly with the ball. I can't think of a better bloke to pass on the knowledge of fast bowling to the guys we have at the moment" said Stokes on Anderson's retirement.

England found some crucial points after the first Test win against West Indies. They are still placed at the bottom of the WTC points table for the 2023-25 edition. They are currently on 33 points with a PCT of 25.00. The Windies are currently placed sixth with a PCT of 26.67.

England will play Test matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand after the ongoing one against West Indies. The Windies have WTC matches with South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan to follow.

England lost their previous Test series against India 4-1 in India. They won the first Test in Hyderabad but then lost four back to back Test matches. The losses were by big margins that pushed them down on the points table. They were placed last on the WTC points table before the start of the series and are still placed last.

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