Anderson ruesStokes absence

James Anderson admits England will feel the absence of Ben Stokes but believes they have the ability and experience to manage without the injured all-rounder during the third Test against Pakistan.

The hosts levelled the series last time out with a dominant 330-run win at Old Trafford, although the success was marred slightly by the calf problem sustained by Stokes which looks to have ruled him out of the rest of the series.

Paceman Anderson, however, remains confident England can maintain their momentum when the nations clash again at Edgbaston, which starts tomorrow.

“(It was) really positive the way we came out of that Old Trafford Test, unfortunate that we lost Ben Stokes in that game to injury but, all in all, just a really strong team performance,” Anderson said.

“He’s a big loss, he just adds that balance to the team.

A career-best 254 from Joe Root led England to victory in Manchester and Anderson feels the team’s impressive performance can act as a springboard to help them secure a series victory following the final Test at the Oval later this month.

England’s record Test wickettaker added: “The batsman talked about, before the game, showing the character they’ve got and what they are made of and their skills, which they completely did, led by Joe Root and Cooky (Alastair Cook).

“(It was) just a really strong performance.”