Veteran fast-bowler James Anderson has been named as England’s vice-captain for the upcoming Ashes series.
England’s leading Test wicket-taker (506) has replaced all-rounder Ben Stokes as Joe Root’s deputy for the five-match Test series starting November 23 at Gabba, Brisbane.
Earlier, Anderson had expressed his desire of getting the role before seeing off competition from former skipper Alastair Cook and bowling partner Stuart Broad to bag the role. Anderson had gone on to say that he along with Cook and Broad have the responsibility of bringing experience to the group regardless of official rank.
“It’s (the vice-captaincy) not something I’ve thought about,” he had said. “My responsibility as a senior player is to bring experience to the group. Myself, Alastair and Stuart Broad all (do that).
“There are a lot of players on this tour who had not played in an Ashes series before, and not toured Australia before. So our job is to try and help as much as we can.”
Meanwhile, the latest news will be a much-needed boost for England who is facing all sorts of issues in the buildup to the all-important Ashes with Stokes’ absence being the biggest of them all.
The 26-year old is currently under investigation for the brawl that took place outside a pub in Bristol and is looking destined to miss the entire series if not a significant part. Andrew Strauss, former skipper and England’s director of cricket, had recently said the board did not have any idea on when will the all-rounder return but had sought clarity on the issue.
Added to that are the injury woes. Toby Roland-Jones, who had made an impressive debut against South Africa a few months ago, could not make it to Australia due to a stress fracture while Steven Finn has also been ruled out due to a knee injury.
On Thursday (November 9), another fast-bowler Jake Ball also suffered an injury to his ankle while bowling on the second day of England’s tour match against a Cricket Australia XI at Adelaide Oval.
Also Read: (Ashes 2017/18: Australia Name Pace Attack Ahead of Gabba Test)
(Jake Ball the Latest English Cricketer to Get Injured Ahead of the Ashes)
Video of the day: