Veteran England pacer James Anderson has clearly hinted at continuing to play for few more years, and that is all because of Ben Stokes’ captaincy.
The 40-year-old further hailed Stokes' attacking mindset and his amazing captaincy style, which has been allowing the players to take a fresh breath every time, and it eventually made him think he could carry on for a number of years in the star all-rounder’s regime.
James Anderson told Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports: “I have been around for 20 years and [Stokes'] attacking mindset is making me think differently about the game. It has been a breath of fresh air and I feel I could carry on for a number of years in this regime.”
The legendary bowler continued, “I have not had any thoughts about not wanting to get out of bed or go to the ground and work on my skills. That is what has kept me going. That hunger to keep getting better is crucial and I am fortunate my body can cope with the strains of Test cricket, so as long as I have that hunger, who knows how long I can keep going on for.
I am just enjoying every moment out on the field, trying to have fun and be creative with fields and how we are trying to get 20 wickets. And watching us bat has been incredible.”
Hailing Stokes as a fantastic captain, Anderson said: “He has so much positivity every day you turn up, whether that is before the game or during the game. We turn up to training the day before a Test and he wants us to do a six-hitting competition!”
He signed off by saying, “He wants us to have fun and enjoy the time we are having together, playing this exciting brand of cricket. It is infectious how you see guys go about their practice. Stokes and Root having fun in a net session and being creative rubs off on the younger guys. It is all well and good talking about freedom but when you see the best players do it you can't help but follow their example.”
