NEWS
Follow UsFormer England captain Michael Vaughan feels James Anderson could still be England's best bowler for the next two years but the team will have to let go of their premier paceman if they want to move on and step into a new era.
Anderson - the third-highest wicket-taker in Test history - has been in pretty good form of late but his team has struggled big time. The right-arm seamer has claimed eight wickets at 23.47 in the ongoing Ashes series but England have been hammered all around the park.
They managed to escape with a draw in the fourth Test but were clobbered in the first three encounters. Vaughan wants England to give more opportunities to the likes of Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood.
"Managing Jimmy’s retirement is going to be key to this team moving forward. His future is the big elephant in the room," Vaughan wrote in The Telegraph.
"England cannot move on and be a world force with Anderson at the helm. I love watching Jimmy bowl. He is a poet with the ball in hand. He could still be England’s best bowler for another two years.
"Warne and Glenn McGrath retired with one or two years of high level cricket still left in them. Just because you can still perform does not mean you should keep going on and on.
"Eke out every ounce of knowledge from Jimmy about how to bowl at this level and keep him involved but bowlers like Saqib Mahmood and Olly Stone need a run in the team. There will be around 60 Tests before England play in Australia again. Are we going to come back here and win with guys who have played only five or 10 Tests? No."
The England Test team’s next assignment is in the West Indies where they are scheduled to play three Tests in March.