Jimmy ‘ready to take on Aussies’
PAUL Collingwood believes veteran seamers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will be key in the Ashes next winter.
The pitches in Galle, Chennai and Ahmedabad have pushed slow bowlers to the fore over the past two months, leaving Jack Leach as the side’s top wicket-taker with 26 in the past five Tests against Sri Lanka and India.
When the latter series comes to a conclusion over the next five days, England’s next overseas assignment will be
their trip Down Under and the emphasis will be back on the pacemen.
Fast, bouncy bowlers like
Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Olly Stone are sure to play a big part in the tourists’ plans but the old firm of Lancashire’s 38-year-old Anderson and 34-year-old Broad have given every indication they are ready for another crack at the old enemy.
“The way they are bowling at this moment in time, I’d be very surprised if they weren’t,” said assistant coach Collingwood.
“I think we always resort to ‘are they too old?’. To me, when you have two bowlers who tick all the boxes and physically seem to be getting younger, it would be mad to overlook these guys.
“Whenever there are doubts about their age, they seem to put them to bed with their performances on the pitch.
“As long as they are still performing, they are going to be at the top of the tree when it comes to being selected.
“To have that kind of experience and know-how and be passing it on to the next generation is absolutely gold dust for us. I’m privileged to take the mitt and watch these guys go about their business every day.”