BEN Stokes is well on his way to becoming the greatest allrounder England has ever produced, veteran teammate James Anderson believes.
Speaking in the aftermath of Stokes’ player-of-the-match performance at Old Trafford, where he scored 176 and 78no and took three wickets during an emphatic series-levelling victory for the hosts, Anderson was clear on where the allrounder ranked in his eyes.
“He’s certainly the best allrounder I’ve ever played with,” Anderson, who lined up in the same team as Andrew Flintoff from 2003 to 2009, said.
“He’s becoming the best allrounder that England’s ever had.
“There’s no reason why he can’t go on to become even better.”
Stokes’ performance in Manchester saw him leap above West Indies captain Jason Holder to become the game’s top-ranked Test allrounder in the ICC rankings, while he sits third in the batting charts behind Steve Smith and Virat Kohli.
“It’s hard to say how good he is because it’s hard to find the words,” Anderson said.
“Joe (Root) said the other day we were in the presence of greatness and he’s spot on.
“He gets into any team as a batsman, while his bowling gets better and better each time he goes out there.
“It’s just amazing to have that talent in our team, and to be able to watch it first-hand as well was amazing.”
Meanwhile, Anderson believes he and Stuart Broad remain part of England’s strongest bowling attack, and that both should be part of the XI for the third and deciding Test against West Indies starting Friday.
The pair have not played in the same team in the first two Tests against the Windies, with 34-year-old Broad left out of the first game in Southampton.
When he returned for the second at Old Trafford, it was 37-year-old Anderson who was rested.
“If we’re both fit and England are picking their strongest bowling attack, we’d both be in that,” said Anderson.
“It’s going to be difficult going forward, I don’t think we’ll play every game together but I love to think we’ve got plenty more games together in the future.”
The cramped schedule, with just three days between each Test, has made rest and rotation a priority for England’s pace attack, who will also play a three-match series against Pakistan next month.
But England coach Chris Silverwood has insisted he will pick his strongest attack for the series decider.
Silverwood is facing a selection headache, with a fully fit contingent of fast bowlers to choose from for the deciding Test.
Jofra Archer is seen as a likely starter, having return to the England camp after his biosecurity breach, creating a squeeze again between Anderson and Broad, while Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran have also staked claims over the two Tests.
“Our record together speaks for itself,” Anderson said.
“There will be moments in the future where we’re not bowling together, which has happened in this series already and happened in the last two years naturally through injury or resting.
“But all me and Stuart can do is keep working hard and keep taking wickets, as Stuart did this week.”
Anderson turns 38 on July 30 but insists another visit to Australia for the 2021-22 Ashes is well on his radar.
“Looking at the bigger picture, I want to be around when we go to Australia for the next Ashes, so to be able to do that, I’ve certainly got to do things slightly differently.
“It might mean missing the odd game here or there to make sure that I’m in the best possible situation.
“I want to keep bowling and keep my form, but I also want to look after my body as much as I can as well. I’m a bit more open to it now than I was, say, two or three years ago.”
