Ben Stokes wants James Anderson as Fast Bowling Coach for Ashes trip

England Test captain Ben Stokes is keen to have experienced England pacer James Anderson become their fast bowling coach for the upcoming tour to Australia in late 2025. The medium pacer will serve as the team’s mentor for the rest of the summer after ending his 188-match Test career with 704 wickets.

The Burnley-born player has been a veteran of international cricket for 22 years and knows the conditions in Australia quite well. With England set to field a new crop of bowlers, his advice on conditions will be of great value to young fast players.

However, it wasn’t the pacemaker’s decision that ended his career. It took a pat on the back from the team’s red-ball format head coach, Brendon McCullum, to force the 42-year-old to retire from football.

‘I’m really curious to see how it goes’ – Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, the England team’s best all-rounder, was asked if Jimmy would consider turning his mentoring role into a more formal position within the England team by the time they aim to regain the Ashes in late 2025. The New Zealand-born Stokes advocated that decision.

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“Yes, absolutely. That’s why we’re asking him to stay.” Ben Stokes replied. “If he has a desire to help bowlers progress as he did with his own career, then I honestly can’t think of a better person to influence all the fast bowlers. I’m very interested to see how that goes.”‘

Anderson finishes with the third-highest number of wickets in the longest format, behind only top-flight Muttiah Muralitharan (800 scalps) and second-place finisher Shane Warne (708).

“I’m definitely not going to tell anyone how to bowl. I’m going to be a sounding board – I’m going to be there if they need me.” said Anderson. “I watch every ball they throw and try to help them as much as I can.”

England were blessed with the inclusion of a young pace bowler- Gus Atkinson, who made life difficult for the West Indies batters during the first of the three-match series at Lord’s. The Surrey bowler’s pace was suitably impressive for the hosts, while his superb line and length made him a great option for the upcoming Ashes.

‘He (Gus Atkinson) is incredibly skilful. He used the slope at Lord’s to his advantage. 12 wickets on debut at Lord’s, what a great start.’ Ben Stokes commentated at the end of the first Test match, which England eventually won by an innings and 114 runs.

Also during the post-match press conference, when the Durham player was asked if he thinks Anderson will deal with these young players in the future, he spoke about the lessons they can learn from the Lancashire bowler’s vast experience.

“Talk about the young bowlers. Gus is coming in and the other guys are coming in.” England Test captain Ben Stokes looked on. “You can tell they have someone like Jimmy Anderson talking to them and sharing his lessons from his career. I think it’s going to be great for us going forward..

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Atkinson took seven wickets in the first innings, conceding just 45 runs in 15 overs, before extending the success with five more wickets in the second innings.

England’s lead fast-bowling coach at the moment is Neil Killeen, the former Durham seamer, although his involvement with the red-ball side is fairly limited. It will be up to Jimmy Anderson whether he considers taking up the position in Ben Stokes’ side for the next Ashes trip.