Life after James Anderson: Five fast bowlers who could lead England’s future Test bowling attack

James Anderson’s two-decade England Test career will come to an end with the first Test match of the summer at Lord’s.

Standing alone as the most successful fast bowler ever with 700 wickets, just nine less than Shane Warne, Anderson has proven himself to be a special player.

At 41 years old, he is still playing international cricket, a level of longevity which may not be seen again. Anderson was one of the first names recalled by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum when they took charge following an ill-fated tour of the West Indies in the winter of 2021-22, but England have now decided it is time to move on.

The question of who will replace him will become more important as the first Test at Lord’s draws ever closer. The County Championship has already held the first eight rounds of fixtures in April and May, but are there any standout bowlers primed to take over from Anderson?

Sam Cook

England want a bowler capable of taking the new ball, and that is where Essex’s Sam Cook would fit as close to like-for-like as possible. His bowling is accurate with little margin for error, and ahead of the final round of fixtures before the Blast he had 28 wickets to his name at an average of 13.42, and an economy rate of just 2.57.

However, England have favoured pace and bounce for their younger talent rather than the reliable seam bowling that reaps rewards in county cricket and was executed throughout his career by Anderson.

Matthew Potts

Matthew Potts already holds an England central contract and has taken 23 wickets for England in six Test matches, and can be relied upon to bowl long spells without dropping his speed. All in all, he would fill the Anderson mould with the new ball, but it remains to be seen whether he has that point of difference that would make him a formidable international bowler.

In five matches at the start of this season he has taken 11 wickets at an average of 47.54.

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Josh Tongue

Josh Tongue impressed in his two Test matches last summer, but has not played since August and is likely to miss a significant portion of the 2024 summer with a pectoral injury. Should England want a reliable bowler to lead their line, Tongue’s ongoing injuries will be cause for concern, especially with Mark Wood unable to play all the games in a five-Test series. Tongue holds a central contract, but it remains to be seen how much he will be able to feature for the national side.

Gus Atkinson

Rob Key told The Independent on the first morning of the season that he wanted to see Gus Atkinson bowl more with the new ball, which may be unlikely to happen given Surrey’s impressive opening pair of Kemar Roach and Dan Worrall. However, Atkinson has an extra yard of pace and has already made his England white ball debut as well as being part of the 50-over World Cup squad.

This season he has taken 10 wickets in three matches at an average of just 24.70.

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Dillon Pennington

One of many to move away from Worcestershire for greener pastures, Dillon Pennington is a touch faster than some of the others on the list, including Sam Cook. In five matches at the start of the season he has taken an impressive 21 wickets at just 14.85, and the 25 year old is starting to come into his own in the County Championship. Pennington is a different bowler to Anderson, but that does not mean he would be less effective.