Stuart Broad and James Anderson announced their retirement within ten months of each other, leaving England's Test team with a haul of 1304 wickets.
Brendon McCullum's side are fortunate to have a number of seamers at their disposal, with Mark Wood and Chris Woakes expected to lead the Test attack this summer.
But when you talk to me sky sports Broad warned this week that Anderson's departure had left a “big hole” in England's squad that would not be easily fixed.
“We could easily play a Test match this summer with a very inexperienced bowling group,” Broad said.
“There's definitely a big hole left by Jimmy Anderson and someone's going to have to step into it. And it's not just about swinging a new ball, it's about communicating, the boundaries are leaking. It's also done by staying calm and being tactically aware of which fields work on a particular ground, on a particular pitch, at a particular time of a Test match.
“If Woakes doesn't play and Mark Wood is rested… there could be a three-seamer and a spinner between 20 caps. I would have thought as a Test captain that that would be very scary. .
“That might leave you a little exposed.”
But England may have already unearthed a swinging maestro who could wreak havoc on the Kingfishers during the 2025/26 Ashes series.
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Durham seamer Sam Cooke has averaged under 20 in each of the last four seasons in the County Championship and has been linked with a call-up to the England squad for several years.
The 26-year-old is currently Division One's leading wicket-taker with 25 scalps at 11.20, while his first-class record rivals some of the modern-day greats with 290 wickets at 19.19. Thing. The last English bowler to take 200 County Championship wickets at an average of under 20 was Derbyshire's Alan Ward, who achieved the feat in 1971.
Since making his debut for Essex University in 2017, Cook has won two county championships: the Bob Willis Trophy, the Twenty20 Blast and The Hundred.
“I was probably too obsessed with wanting to play for England,” Cook said. ESPNcricinfo last month.
“If you keep doing what you're good at for a long time, that opportunity will definitely come.”
It's hard to ignore Cook's red ball numbers, but McCullum and managing director Rob Key have repeatedly expressed a desire for speed in the national team's bowling attack.
Cook's moderate pace, which hovers around 130km/h, has previously been a disadvantage to Anderson and Broad, especially in the Test squad. The right-hander now faces the challenge of adding even more yards of pace to his bowling action, which he has enjoyed success with over the past five years, without compromising his action.
“I know I'm not bowling 90 meters an hour, but there are a lot of bowlers who are very successful in Test cricket who aren't bowling 90 meters an hour.'' Cook said recently. I.
“(McCallum and Key) want the players to bowl faster and that's what I'm trying to do too, but I've always tried to focus on what I'm good at and how I do things. I told him I was conscious of not leaving him.''I have used the ticket gate so far.
“We’re trying to get that balance right.”
Looking ahead to next year's Ashes tour, England introduced the Kingfisher to the opening two rounds of the County Championship in order to identify seamers who do not rely on the flashy movements of Duke's ball.
In an otherwise batsman-dominated week, in Essex's win over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, Cook scored 254 points, including a first-innings hat-trick, in a 10-73 victory, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Kingfisher. He dispelled his concerns and further boosted his own performance. The case for ash selection.
Essex coach Anthony McGrath said last month: “Some people are saying he can't bowl at Kingfisher.”
“I think this performance has put an end to that debate.”
Anderson's retirement paved the way for Cook's potential Test debut, but Sussex's Olly Robinson remains England's best swinging option despite a less-than-underwhelming tour of India ing.
Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue will also be competing for a place in the starting XI, while Jamie Overton, Brydon Kearse and Ollie Stone are not far behind.
“The only way to know a bowler is to give them a try,” Broad continued.
“We encourage them to communicate outside, we encourage them to solve problems live in Test matches. I think it’s very important for some bowlers to get exposure because there are some talented people out there. .”
The first Test between England and West Indies begins on July 10 at Lord's.