New Delhi: Swashbuckling English batter Joe Root is hopeful of a bright future for England’s bowling attack following James Anderson’s departure from England cricket and Gus Atkinson ticking all the boxes in his Test debut. Hailing the swing king while also having his take on the coming days for England cricket, Root felt that the England team in “moving in the right direction.”
Anderson bid farewell to international cricket after the series opener against West Indies at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Friday. The pace legend concluded his career on a high with a four-wicket haul in his last Test innings. In a Test career spanning over 21 years, the 41-year-old ended up as the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 704 wickets, just behind spin magicians Shane Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800).
The probably sad England cricket fans found solace in Gus Atkinson, who debuted in the same Test and shone with the ball to bag the Player of the Match award. He became only the 19th player to take a 10-wicket haul in his debut game and finished off with 12 wickets conceding 106 runs, also noitably surpassing Anderson’s career-best figures. This has brought in a new shift… a new era for England cricket which could probably see Atkinson leading the pace attack in Tests.
Root has his take on the new era
Root’s remarks on English bowling’s future came after Atkinson’s brilliant performance in the opening Test. Hailing Anderson as the “greatest-ever bowler”, he said that it’s time to add some new talent to their side.
“I think the future does look very bright in the bowling department. We’ve lost our greatest ever bowler but for Gus to come in and do that shows a lot about where we are as a team. We are moving in the right direction,” AFP quoted Root as saying.
England will play two more Tests against the West Indies in the series which is followed by a Test series against Sri Lanka, all part of the World Test Championship 2025. However, Root focused on the England team’s preparation for the much-awaited Ashes series against Australia, which begins in the latter half of 2025.
“I think as a player, the Ashes is the series that you’re always looking forward to, they’re the ones you’re always building towards. When teams have gone out there, what they need for those conditions is someone like Gus that can bowl in the late 80mphs, early 90mphs, and still move the ball around and make things happen at a high pace,” Root stressed.
With James Anderson bidding goodbye to England cricket, Joe Root looked at the future of England’s bowling attack and feels that it lies in safe hands following the retirement of the greatest. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
