Anderson to become England fast-bowling mentor

James Anderson will subordinate nan England coaching set-up arsenic a fast-bowling mentor erstwhile he retires from Test cricket against West Indies astatine Lord’s adjacent week.

The 41-year-old, nan astir successful gait bowler successful nan history of Test cricket, will extremity his world playing profession aft England told him they want to move on.

But England managing head Rob Key said: “He’s sewage truthful overmuch to connection English cricket. We don’t want to spot that go.

“When we asked him, he was keen. He is going to person a batch of options. English cricket would beryllium very fortunate if he chooses to enactment successful nan game.”

Anderson, who has taken 700 Test wickets, is presently playing for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire successful nan County Championship astatine Southport.

He is yet to make a determination connected his early pinch nan Red Rose, but Key said Anderson will beryllium pinch nan England squad “all summer”.

“What he does pinch Lancashire will astir apt activity retired aft nan Lord’s Test,” said Key.

“We've sewage immoderate conversations to person aft to find retired what he thinks is nan champion point to do. Everything truthful acold has been him gearing up for this Test match.”

England person named a fresh-looking squad for nan first 2 of nan 3 Tests against West Indies.

With Anderson owed to front out, Nottinghamshire gait bowler Dylan Pennington has been called-up, alongside Surrey’s Gus Atkinson, who has been successful a erstwhile Test squad but has not played.

Ollie Robinson has been omitted and Mark Wood will miss nan commencement of nan bid pursuing nan T20 World Cup.

England person besides named uncapped Jamie Smith to support wicket up of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes, while Shoaib Bashir replaces his Somerset team-mate Jack Leach arsenic nan frontline spinner.

Key described Smith, 23, arsenic a “rare talent”. The right-hander has a first-class batting mean successful excess of 40 and has been averaging much than 50 successful nan County Championship this season, but usually plays for Surrey arsenic a master batter, pinch Foakes taking nan gloves.

“Sometimes you're selecting group for what they're going to beryllium arsenic well, and wherever you deliberation they tin advancement to,” said erstwhile England batter Key.

“It's very overmuch nan commencement for Jamie Smith. We consciousness he's going to beryllium a awesome world cricketer."

Key added that Bairstow "needs to get backmost to what he was a mates of years ago", erstwhile nan Yorkshireman deed six Test hundreds of years successful 2022.

"Generally his form, successful each formats, has conscionable been going somewhat successful nan incorrect direction," added Key.

"It's an arduous task being a keeper and you want personification who tin backmost up bid aft series. We weren't convinced that Jonny would beryllium capable to do that, particularly astatine nan shape of his profession that he's at."

Key said that while Foakes is an "excellent keeper", England want personification successful nan domiciled astatine number 7 who tin "up nan ante astatine times erstwhile required".

"We consciousness that he tin soak up unit and erstwhile he's batting pinch a batsman astatine nan different end, he's much than capable," said Key.

"But his situation and his task is to beryllium capable to bring that different broadside to his game.”

In Somerset’s ongoing Championship lucifer against Warwickshire, left-armer Leach has been preferred to Bashir, but Key said Leach will beryllium England’s 2nd spinner successful nan contiguous future.

Off-spinner Bashir, 20, made his Test debut connected nan circuit of India earlier this twelvemonth and took 17 wickets successful 3 matches.

“I loved watching what he did successful India,” said Key. “It’s nan aforesaid point wherever you're picking personification because you conscionable spot that potential.

“You conscionable deliberation he's sewage everything arsenic a spinner, and will get better.”

Key was speaking for nan first clip since England’s conclusion by India successful nan T20 World Cup semi-finals, nan surrender of nan title they won successful 2022.

England won only 1 of 4 matches against different Test-playing teams astatine nan tourney successful nan Caribbean and United States pursuing a miserable defence of nan 50-over World Cup successful India past year.

Key said that reaching a semi-final was not “a bad sign”, but stopped short of giving assurances skipper Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott will still beryllium successful complaint for England’s adjacent white-ball bid against Australia successful September.

“I'm not going to unreserved thing connected that, but for illustration we ever do, we'll commencement looking astatine what's nan champion measurement for that white-ball squad to move forward,” he said.

“At times I thought we showed really bully we were and astatine times we were inconsistent. We'll fto nan particulate settee connected nan World Cup and past move guardant from there.”