Speculations have been rife over England white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan and Test pace spearhead James Anderson's future but the duo has found support from newly-appointed head coach Chris Silverwood who reckons they have earned the right to decide when they go.
While Irishman Morgan, having led his adopted country to a maiden 50-over World Cup triumph in July, has just recently committed to England until the T20 World Cup in Australia next year. Anderson is currently recovering from a calf injury picked in the first Test of the Ashes 2019.
Anderson, who is England's highest ever Test wicket-taker, has been sidelined for the tour of New Zealand in November as well and is hoping to prove his fitness for the Test series in December in South Africa.
He'll be undergoing a training stint at Manchester City's Etihad Campus over the next two months alongside three lions' strength and conditioning team.
Talks have long also revolved around Anderson's pace partner Stuart Broad but Silverwood said they both remain an integral part of the plan.
"If they're both fit, it's difficult to look past them, isn't it? It's a great headache to have. When you look at the amount of wickets they've got between them it's phenomenal," Silverwood was quoted as saying by AFP.
"Jimmy's great. He takes wickets, he's got a lot of knowledge in there that he can share with the players coming in," he added. "I think it will be up to him to let us know, and I think he will, when he's had enough, but who wouldn't want a world-class bowler like him in the line-up? He is phenomenal. He gets wickets all round the world."
"So yes I want him around as long as I can, but equally we've got to be realistic and say 'right we've got to do some future planning here'."
On Morgan, Silverwood said: "The way he leads that one-day side and T20 side, and the influence he's got with the players, is phenomenal."
"He's so respected and the ideas he has, moving them forward. My job is to give him as much support as I can, to help him get where he wants to get to with them."
"He's earned the right to tell us when he's had enough but certainly we've got to have one eye on transitioning that period," he concluded.
(Inputs from AFP)
