As his team gets ready to play their first Test since James Anderson's retirement, captain Ben Stokes thinks it's a "great time to be a fast bowler in England."

It will be the first time since 2012 that England has played a home game without at least Anderson or Stuart Broad when they take on the West Indies in the second Test on Thursday at Trent Bridge.

Stokes told BBC Sport, "There was always going to be a time when that was going to hit English cricket, without sounding too over the top."

"Throughout the remainder of the summer and over the next 18 months to two years, there will be opportunities for guys."

In his 50th Test match, Chris Woakes will "lead the attack," according to Stokes, and he and Gus Atkinson will share the new ball.

Atkinson of Surrey grabbed 12 wickets in his debut in the decisive first Test at Lord's.

In place of Anderson, Mark Wood is called up again, and he and Atkinson together make up perhaps the most placid England duo since Wood and Olly Stone's 2021 match against New Zealand.

Though they retired over a year apart, England's two all-time top wicket-takers, Anderson and Broad, have done so in back-to-back home Test matches. In Anderson's case, England let go of the 41-year-old as part of a number of adjustments made with the 2025–2026 Ashes tour of Australia in mind.

The two fast bowlers not used by England at Trent Bridge are the uncapped Dillon Pennington and the six-time Test cap Matthew Potts. Sam Cook of Essex has also been suggested by managing director Rob Key as a potential player for this summer.

All-rounder Stokes stated, "It's a really exciting time to be a fast bowler in England." "Seeing Gus Atkinson bowl at one end and Mark Wood at the other is a very exciting prospect."

"It's true that Dillon will have opportunities come summertime, but right now Woody is our best starting lineup."

Additionally, Stokes stated that in the event that Ben Duckett's partner Paige goes into labor and the pair gives birth to their first child, there is a "plan in place."

Duckett, the opener for Nottinghamshire, is scheduled to play his maiden Test on his home field on Thursday morning. If the birth occurs before the game begins, he is unlikely to play. Dan Lawrence is waiting to enter.

If Duckett is selected to start the game, he could be forced to depart for a portion of it, as was the case with Joe Denly in the last Ashes Test at The Oval in 2019.

England would have an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and their first series win since the tour of Pakistan in 2022 if they prevailed at Trent Bridge.


West Indies have selected an unchanged team after being comprehensively defeated at Lord's by an innings and 114 runs. Shamar Joseph, a fast bowler, has been cleared to play after experiencing pain in his left leg during Lord's.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite stated, "The guys are very eager and ready to go." "We need to find a solution, and we need to bat better. Runs must be added on the board. It's easy.

"We have complete faith in the guys who participated in the first Test." Shamar has been operating normally for the past few days.