Jimmy Anderson has hit back at former captain Michael Vaughan’s comments that England should develop a new Test side without the veteran fast bowler.
After Australia toppled England in the first three Test matches to win the Ashes series, Vaughan proposed dropping Anderson to build a new squad, based around the likes of Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood getting more of a run.
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Labelling Anderson’s future with England “the elephant in the room”, he suggested axing the 39-year-old after a fruitful Test career spanning 19 years.
“Managing Jimmy’s retirement is going to be key to this team moving forward. His future is the big elephant in the room,” Vaughan wrote himself in The Telegraph.
“England cannot move on and be a world force with Anderson at the helm. I love watching Jimmy bowl. He is a poet with the ball in hand. He could still be England’s best bowler for another two years.”
But Anderson has now responded himself in The Telegraph, firmly dismissing any suggestion that he would withdraw from representative duties after the tour of Australia is over.
“I read that my future is the ‘elephant in the room’ according to Michael Vaughan’s Telegraph column this week,” Anderson wrote.
“It is not the elephant in the room because the captain and coach know exactly what my thoughts are on it.
“They have told me their thoughts too. They want me around and to carry on. As long as that is the case, it is not an elephant in any room. We are talking openly about it.
“It always happens when you get beaten heavily in an Ashes series. The ECB will look at everyone’s performance throughout the tour.
“In that respect nobody is certain about their future whether it is the captain, coach, top six batsmen or the bowling attack. Everyone is under scrutiny.”
Anderson is the the third-highest wicket taker in Test history with 640 under his belt.
The fifth and final Test match begins in Hobart on Friday.
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