England captain Ben Stokes has backed senior pace bowler Chris Woakes to lead England’s bowling attack without the veteran speedster James Anderson. With Anderson’ retiring’s retirement from international cricket after England’s convincing victory over the West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s, Woakes is all set to become the new leader for England’s bowling unit. However, despite the absence of veteran pacers, Stokes is optimistic about Woakes’ ability to fill the void as well.

“I see it (James Anderson’s retirement) as an opportunity for someone like Chris Woakes to take up the leadership role in the bowling unit,” Stokes stated on Wednesday. “Woaksy is a very experienced bowler, a very experienced player. We have been so used to Jimmy and Broady doing that. But we don’t have them now. I see that as an opportunity for Woaksy. (Woakes has been) A phenomenal performer, especially in England and great for him now to lead the attack.”

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James Anderson remains with the squad as part of the support staff

Although James Anderson has retired from the game, he remains with the squad as part of the support staff as well. Stokes added that the positive impact Anderson’s presence has had on the team, especially in providing valuable guidance to the bowlers as well.

“The last few days have been really good,” Stokes noted. “You can see that the lads are really desperate to pick his brains. Obviously before that it was a bit different. Jimmy has always been preparing for his games, so it’s about letting him do his stuff and pick his brains as much as you can, that felt appropriate. But now obviously he’s just standing there and you can see lads drawn towards him wanting to pick his brains about what he thinks, how he holds certain deliveries.”

“I think it has been a very, very smooth transition. But there is no doubt that there have been emotions with Jimmy. But with him still being around the team, I think he still knows that he has so much more to offer to the game with the ball. Couldn’t think of a better bloke to be able to pass on the knowledge of fast bowling to the guys we have with us at the moment,” Ben Stokes concluded.