Jimmy Anderson was repeatedly finding the edge here on Tuesday although the man holding the bat was very much hoping this would be the case. It was Anderson’s first training session in his new role as England’s bowling mentor and he started out by helping the head coach, Brendon McCullum, drill the slips cordon.
In this first week since Anderson bowed out of Test cricket with a thumping win at Lord’s on Friday, Mark Wood is the chief beneficiary selection-wise. The Durham fast bowler was parachuted into the squad on Saturday and, after England’s first net session in Nottingham was forced indoors by rain, was then confirmed as the one change to the XI for the second Test against West Indies that starts on Thursday.
As well as it being the first England team not to feature Anderson or the similarly retired Stuart Broad in a home Test since 2012, Wood’s return after playing in the T20 World Cup represents something of a statement from England as they unashamedly build towards the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia.
The assumption was that Nottinghamshire’s Dillon Pennington would make his debut on his home ground and share the new ball with Chris Woakes, with Matthew Potts the alternative option in the original squad. But rather than look to another fast-medium seamer, the return of Wood makes it two outright quicks in the attack, with Gus Atkinson, still buzzing from his 12 wickets on debut at Lord’s last week, the other.
Aiding this lust for pace is Ben Stokes. After sending down two thundering spells of 10 and eight overs during the mismatch at Lord’s, the England captain is clearly back to fully fledged all-rounder status after knee surgery late last year. As well as providing a second swing bowling option alongside Woakes, Stokes the fourth seamer should allow the two quicker men to operate in shorter bursts.
1. Zak Crawley 2. Ben Duckett 3. Ollie Pope 4. Joe Root 5. Harry Brook 6. Ben Stokes (capt) 7. Jamie Smith 8. Chris Woakes 9. Gus Atkinson 10. Mark Wood 11. Shoaib Bashir
This should similarly help Shoaib Bashir to find his feet as England’s frontline spinner, even if the 20-year-old failed to catch his captain’s eye during the first Test. That said, it was a remarkably quick affair – six sessions and one hour required for an innings victory – and, assuming the tourists are better for it, a recently flat Trent Bridge surface should see him come into the equation. The forecast also looked relatively dry two days out.
Naming the team early has become a trait of the Stokes-McCullum axis, albeit one complication may yet arise. Ben Duckett was first into the nets and first out again on Tuesday, hurrying to be with his partner, Paige, as they await the birth of their first child. Dan Lawrence is the spare batter in the squad, although Trent Bridge being Duckett’s home ground certainly helps with the logistics.
West Indies must decide whether Shamar Joseph is fit to play again after reporting cramp in his left hamstring at Lord’s. The fast bowler was short on conditioning during the buildup, having sent down 14 competitive overs since the tour of Australia in January and then being unable to travel to the UK in time for his side’s solitary warm-up match at Beckenham a fortnight ago because of Hurricane Beryl.
There is optimism he will feature, however, not least given his starring role in his side’s famous win at the Gabba on that Australia trip. “I am not part of the medical team but he bowled a couple [of spells] in training so I’m sure he will be alright,” Joshua Da Silva, the West Indies wicketkeeper, said.
“If we can replicate that [Gabba performance], all of us will be really happy. It’s not going to be easy. We need to bat for long periods of time.”
On being Anderson’s 704th and final Test victim last week, Da Silva said: “I tried my hardest not to be one of those wickets but unfortunately I got a good Jimmy seed. What a legend he is … and I’m happy I don’t have to see him again.”
