England speedster James Anderson is of the opinion that despite the possible absence of all-rounder Ben Stokes in the upcoming Ashes, it won’t hamper England’s chances Down Under.
With or without Stokes it will be a task for England to beat Australia in their home conditions given the fact that they got whitewashed 5-0 margins in both the previous tours.
Stokes’s participation in the five-match series is in serious jeopardy after the all-rounder and his teammate Alex Hales was arrested following an apparent altercation with a trespasser where Stokes was seen punching and pushing the man to the ground. An investigation was ,initiated and the participation of the duo depends on how the investigation procedure pans out.
The duo was suspended for an indefinite time, and the board has said that they will wait for the investigation to conclude before taking a call on this matter. Given Stokes’ exceptional all-round abilities, many experts and pundits have ruled out England’s chances of retaining the Ashes if Stokes is not part of the team.
“When we won the Ashes in 2010/11, we didn’t win it with 11 players – we won with 13/14/15 players,” Anderson told Sky Sports News. The biggest thing for us is we get 15 or 16 players to be on top of their game when we get to Australia and be able to perform for our team.
“Once we get there, the only focus will be beating Australia… It’s just a case of being strong enough and having that tunnel vision to focus on the individual and as a team and what will help the team win the series.”
James Anderson recently became the first English bowler to bag 500 Test wickets and also rose to the No.1 rankings in the Latest Test Rankings for bowlers. Anderson urged every member of the team to take up the responsibility individually.
“My own focus will be on my bowling and what I can do to help the team, and I‘m sure all the other individuals in the side will do that. If we can do that, then I‘m sure we’ll galvanise and put in a strong performance.” The first Test of the series kicks-off in Brisbane on 23rd November.